Might & Magic: Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard
by thablackkuririn
Summary: 11 year old Ranma Saotome discovers that his mother is a witch, he is a wizard, and he is set to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Britain! Book 1 of a RanmaHarry Potter Xover, set to span all 7 Harry Potter books.
1. Curses and Confessions

Ranma Saotome was born in January of 1980 to Genma and Nodoka Saotome in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of two, after he had learned to properly walk, his father began teaching him the basics of martial arts. Two years later, Genma, with Nodoka's blessing, embarked with his son on a world spanning martial arts training journey of such intensity that full grown and seasoned martial artists would have balked at its undertaking. Ranma, however, was a prodigy the likes of which the martial arts world had not seen for decades. The next seven years he toiled ceaselessly to master a myriad of styles, under the careful eye of his father. He consumed and processed new techniques at unprecedented speeds, took dojo signs at will, and made a great number of friends and enemies along the way. By the age of eleven, Ranma had come into his own in the Anything Goes School, Saotome Ryu, and was well on his way to becoming the greatest martial artist of his generation. In other universes that may well have come to pass but, in this universe, a series of chances and events conspired to change the path that Ranma would follow, a path that would lead to a destiny as great, if not greater, than those other lives. One such event, neither the first nor the last but certainly one of the most crucial, was the return of Ranma and Genma to their home in Juuban, a large suburb of Tokyo, in mid-May, 1991...

wwtMask presents

Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: For covenience's sake, assume that the language being spoken is the native language of the country where the scene is taking place. When you see dialogue between ' ' and ' ', it denotes a different language (Japanese, more than likely).

Chapter 1: Curses and Confessions

A heavy spring shower doused Juuban, bringing relief to its denizens who were, up till that point, sweltering under an unseasonably hot May. All around, people moved around the steamy streets under their small umbrellas, trying to find shelter from the downpour. They were so engaged in dodging the rain that they scarcely paid attention to a most odd sight. Down the middle of a busy street walked a small, red-haired girl followed by a large panda. The girl wore Chinese style clothing and looked to be no more than twelve years old. The panda was, of course, quite large, but also carried an umbrella that did nothing to shelter it from the rain. They were both soaking wet but seemed more occupied with reaching their destination.

"How much farther, old man?" the girl asked the panda, sounding very excited.

Despite the absurdity of talking to an animal and expecting a response, the panda seemed to understand and produced, from thin air, a sign that read: A few streets down from here. From the way the panda's shoulders slumped, it did not seem as eager to get to where they were headed.

"Let's run then!" she said and, grabbing the panda by its paw, began dragging it along with unbelievable strength.The people surrounding them gaped as they ran past, covering the next few blocks in less than a minute. By then, the girl seemed to know where she was headed, her eyes looking over the neighborhood with a misty gaze of old familiarity. She dragged the panda (literally, as it had now stopped trying to move at all) past the gate of a modest two story house. On the gate was a sign that read:

Saotome Residence

Saotome Nodoka, Cert. Potion Ms.

Hours: 7:00 to 17:00

By Appt. Only

The girl ignored the sign in her haste to reach the front door. She hardly noticed that she had gotten out of the rain as she stepped onto the porch and pressed the doorbell button. The panda stood behind her, trying but failing miserably to hide itself behind her and looking somewhat fearful. She rang the doorbell once more before finally hearing someone approaching the door. The door opened, spilling light onto the darkening porch and casting a long shadow of the woman who had just opened the door.

She was an attractive, middle aged woman of average height and with exotic looking, shoulder length, candy red hair. She wore thin glasses and was dressed in shimmering purple robes..With a wave of her hand, the porch light flickered on, revealing the people who had just disturbed her. She looked down at the girl and behind her at the panda, raised her eyebrows at them, and said, "I'm sorry but I'm closed for the night. You'll need to make an appointment."

The girl looked crestfallen and a bit confused. "But-"

"Young lady, I'm sure that you can wait until tomorrow. Those curses don't seem to be dangerous." the woman said dismissively.

"But-what? What did you say?" said the girl and this time the panda seemed interested as well.

"My hours are quite plainly-"

"No, not that." the girl said quickly. "The curses...how did you know?"

The woman seemed to be getting annoyed but did not let it show in her voice. "The signs are quite plain, my dear. Now, if you 'll just come by in the morning..."

The girl was not listening. She was smiling widely and suddenly latched onto the woman with a strong hug. "This is great!" she said, beaming up at the startled woman. "You can fix the curse then, mom!"

The woman did a double take, then laughed. This girl was surely mistaken. She, after all, had a son, not a daughter. But the panda, looking resigned to its fate, stepped forward, holding sign up that read: Hello Dear. Ranma and I are home.

It took some minutes for Nodoka Saotome to calm down. She was sitting at a small table in the large kitchen, breathing deeply between swigs of a bubbly pink drink she had taken from one of the cabinets. The girl was sitting across from her, looking very concerned but unsure of how to approach her mother. The panda looked pensive and, having nothing better to do, rolled on its back and began playing with a beach ball that seemed to appear from nowhere. Finally, Nodoka seemed able to continue with their conversation.

"Where...how did you get cursed?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"Well, it's kinda Pop's fault." Ranma said slowly. The panda suddenly went rigid and, once again, tried in vain to make itself as small as possible. "We were going through China, right? And he said we were going to some legendary training grounds up in the mountains. So he hired a guide and we went there."

"There?"

"Jusenkyou. Some kinda legendary springs. All I know is the place creeped me out. It was like...I could feel something strange there. Like, it was weird that I could see it and the guide could see it, but Pop's didn't see it until we'd entered."

"Oh really?" said Nodoka, and now she seemed to have become extremely interested. "And what was it like?"

"I dunno, big I guess. Lots of holes in the ground the size of an onsen, full of cold water, with a long piece of bamboo sticking out. But there was strange mist rising from each of them, and not grey like you'd think, but kinda silvery. But the worst part was the noise." Ranma shivered a little and looked away, embarassed at her fear. "It was like a fly buzzing in your ear, or people talking far away. I could hear something but I didn't know what it was.

"Once Pops could see it, he threw down his backpack and jumped up on one and told me to join him. The guide tried to tell us not to do that but, after warning us, he left mumbling something about getting some tea and 'muggles', whatever that is."

Nodoka visibly stiffened and leaned forward, her eyes narrowed. She seemed to be listening very intently.

"So anyway," Ranma continued, not aware of how interested her mother was in the story, "we were sparring, right, on the bamboo, when I caught Pops in mid-air with a kick and he fell into one of the springs. The next thing I know, out of the spring comes this", Ranma pointed at the panda, who was now trying to hid behind a chair, "and it knocks the crap out of me because I wasn't expecting to fight no panda. I almost caught myself on a bamboo rod but I missed it and fell into another of the springs. After I crawled out of that cold spring, I looked like this.

"After that, the guide came rushing out to see what had happened. He just looked at us, then said that I had fallen into the 'Spring of Drowned Girl' where a girl had drowned one thousand years ago, and Pops had fallen into the 'Spring of Drowned Panda' where a panda had drowned three thousand years ago. After that, we left and Pops had us head straight here right after that."

There was a long, pregnant pause that made Ranma uneasy. Nodoka's expression was blank as she mulled the story. Finally, she spoke. "I see. Very well then." She suddenly stood to her feet, produced a katana from thin air, and pointed it at the now prostrating panda. "Genma, you've taken my son away from me and now you're going to die." she said emotionlessly. She raised the weapon but, in a flash, Ranma had caught her by the hands, preventing them from coming down.

"Wait, mom!" she exclaimed, looking fearful. "I'm not gone yet! The curse is reversible! Look, I'll show you!"

A few deft motions with her right hand produced a thermos from which small wisps of steam were escaping. She lifted it abover her head and dumped the contents on herself. The change was almost instantaneous. Her red hair turned black, she grew a few inches, and her face became slightly more masculine. Ranma was, once again, a boy.

Nodoka stared at him as she slowly lowered the weapon. As she sank into her chair, Genma snatched the thermos, filled it with hot water from the tap, and dumped it on his head, revealing a sturdily built man of about thirty-five years dressed in a white karate gi and wearing a white bandanna over his head. Nodoka hardly noticed, as she was staring at her son, who was starting to squirm a bit under the gaze. "Sorry 'bout this." he said, looking down at his hands, which were twisting themselves together. He suddenly felt arms surrounding him and the warmth of his mother's body pressed on him.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Ranma-kun." she said, softly "You're back home." He looked up to see her face shining with tears and returned the hug, a hug that he had longed for the last seven long years.

They embraced for several minutes before she pulled away to look at him more closely. "Cursed already, and before you've even got a wand..." she said ruefully. Before Ranma could even ask what she meant by that, Genma coughed loudly to get her attention.

"Yes, Genma?" she asked, her voice icy.

"Dear, could you..." he said hesitantly. "Could you fix this?"

She looked at him through eyes so narrow that they were almost closed. "I don't know, Genma. From the sounds of it, you went off and got our son mixed up in some ancient magic. I told you that such things were not to be trifled with but you couldn't be bothered to listen to me, eh?"

"But mom, how do you know about curses anyway?" asked Ranma. "I've only met old medicine women and feng shui practitioners who could fix curses."

Nodoka laughed. "Medicine women and feng shui indeed! I'll give them credit, they know slightly more about magic than most Muggles, but that's not saying much. But, of course, I'd know all about curses, being a witch." She smiled at her son, but the smile faltered when she saw that Ranma looked very surprised. "Dear me, I know it's been years since you last saw me, but don't tell me you've forgotten that I'm a witch? After all, your father should have told you ages ago..."

Again, a pregnant pause settled over the room. Ranma was looking slightly awed at his mother. Genma was, once again, miserably failing to become invisible. Nodoka was looking at Ranma and Genma curiously before a look of suspicion settled on her face. Aiming a murderous glare at her husband, she said: "Do you mean to tell me that your father hasn't been telling you the truth about me? About you? He's been keeping it from you all this time?"

Ranma shook his head. "He never said anything about you being a witch." he replied, sounding mystified. "And what about me?"

But Nodoka did not answer, for she had rounded on her husband. Her anger at him had reached the boiling point and she pulled a long wooden stick from within her robes and pointed it at him. A bolt of red light shot from it but, thanks to his years of martial arts training, Genma ducked it just in time. It shot past him and hit the tap, ripping it from the sink and causing water to spray all over the kitchen. In that instant, Genma and Ranma were soaked and, once again, in their cursed forms. Genma, sensing an opening, scampered from the room, more jets of red light whizzing past him. "Count yourself lucky, Genma Saotome." Nodoka shouted furiously. "Next time I won't miss!"

She swept to the sink, somehow shielding herself from the spray with the stick in her hand, and waved the stick at the ruined tap. Ranma was startled to see the bits of mangled metal lift into the air, reshape themselves into a tap, and return to their proper places as if nothing had happened. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, but that display had been enough to convince anyone. Her mother really was a witch and knew how to perform magic!

A few more flicks of the wand, for that was what Ranma was sure it was, and the kitchen was dry once more. She walked over to Ranma and waved the wand over her head. Hot water flowed over her, turning Ranma, once again, into a boy. Another flick and Ranma felt a miraculously warm breeze flow over him, rendering him as dry as the rest of the kitchen. "Thanks." he said, looking at her in awe. She saw his expression and smiled.

"It's nothing, dear. Before long, you'll be doing this without even thinking about it." she said.

"But I can't do any magic." said Ranma.

"Oh, of course you can. You're my son, after all." she said. "You just need some training, that's all."

The thought of doing magic excited him. "You're gonna teach me?" he asked eagerly.

"Me? Oh no, that's what magic school is for." she said. "Of course, you won't know what that is, thanks to your father. But at least he got you back here in time to get enrolled at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?"

"It's a school for underage wizards. One of the best in the world too."

Ranma thought 'Hogwarts' was a very strange name for a school. It didn't sound Japanese at all. "Is it here in Tokyo?"

"No, dear, it is in Great Britain."

"That sure is far away." he said. "Is it the only magic school?"

"No, there are many all over the world . There is even one here in Japan. Nothing wrong with it, really, but I wanted you to go to the school I went to." Ranma was surprised again; he had never known she had spent time in England, though it would explain why the house was so Western in style. "Also, I'm...well, not exactly on good terms with the headmaster of that school. The man really is xenophobic, and he's insanely jealous of Dumbledore..."

" Who's Dumbledore?"

"He's headmaster of Hogwarts. Most wizards, even Japanese wizards, say he's probably the greatest wizard of the age. Oh!" she exclaimed. "I forgot, I need to send an owl to Dumbledore about you."

"An...owl?" asked Ranma uncertainly.

"Oh yes, owl post. Like the muggle mail system, but owls carry the letters. And, I might add, it's much more reliable than the muggle postman." his mother replied.

"But how do the owls know where to go? Are they some kind of specially trained owls?"

"No no, they need no special training. Owls are actually quite intelligent and have been companions of wizards for centuries. They have excellent directional sense and they can find almost anyone." she replied. As she spoke, she drew her wand out of her robes and waved it, conjuring a bottle of ink, a feather quill, and a piece of thick yellow paper.

"So...you're sending an owl all the way to England? Isn't that kinda far?" said Ranma, surprised and delighted to see his mother work more magic.

"Oh no, Ryouko will be fine." Nodoka replied absently as she scratched out the letter. Ranma went silent, not wanting to disturb her as she wrote. After several minutes she stopped, held the paper up to read over and, seemingly satisfied with the letter, rolled and tied it up and said: "Alright, that ought to do nicely. Ten-ten, please fetch Ryouko."

Ranma was about to ask who she was talking to before the answer literally appeared before his eyes. A loud crack made him jump in his seat and, next to the table, where before there had been air, now stood a short, brown creature dressed in a bright red towel and holding, on it's right arm, a magnificent black eagle owl. The creature bowed slightly and held the owl forward while Nodoka attached the letter to the owl's outstretched leg. "Please deliver this to Albus Dumbledore as soon as possible. But please, this time, don't overdo yourself, ok?"

The owl clicked it's beak and nodded. "Ten-ten, please go set her off."

"Yes, Oku-sama." the creature said and, with another crack, disappeared with the owl.

Ranma was staring at the empty space recently vacated by the creature, his mouth hanging open as he tried to wrap his brain around what he had just seen. Nodoka chuckled softly at his astonishment, which roused him from his stupor. "What...what was that?"

"I'm so sorry, Ranma-kun, I didn't think to tell you about Ten-ten." she said apologetically. "Ten-ten is our house-elf. She helps me keep this house in order. I've been so busy since you and your father left that I couldn't handle this place alone, so I hired her on. Let me introduce you to her."

Another crack, and Ten-ten had returned to the kitchen. This time, the house-elf turned and bowed at him as well, giving Ranma a better look. She was very short, about three and a half feet tall, with skinny limbs that had knobbly knees and elbows, small, bare feet, and child-like hands with long fingers. Her head was rather large and was completely bald. Her face was framed by pointy, floppy ears with a golden earring in each lobe, her nose was small and hooked like a bird's beak, and her mouth was rather small with two buckteeth slightly protruding from beneath the upper lip. Ten-ten's eyes were quite large and the pupils were the deepest aquamarine, flecked with gold. The red towel, he noticed, was really two towels, fastened together around the neck and arms with gold pins and worn like a dress. Besides the towels, the elf wore nothing else.

"Ranma, this is Ten-ten." Ranma stood up and held out his hand, bowing slightly. The elf's floppy ears twitched slightly but she did not reach for the hand. "It's ok, Ten-ten, this is my son Ranma."

The elf cautiously grasped his hand in a surprisingly strong grip, then bowed even lower. "Ten-ten is happy to finally meet young Ojou-sama!" she squeaked in a high-pitched voice

"Uh, nice to meet you too." Ranma said, feeling embarassed at the title she used to address him. "You really don't have to call me Ojou-sama. Just call me Ranma."

"Oh no, Ojou-sama, Ten-ten must address Oku-sama's son properly. Ojou-sama must be shown proper respect."

"But-"

"Ranma, I'm afraid she really won't budge on this issue, even if you order her to call you Ranma." interrupted Nodoka. "However, I think that calling him Ranma-sama will suffice, Ten-ten."

"If Oku-sama thinks it's best, Ten-ten will call Oku-sama's son Ranma-sama." Ten-ten agreed reluctantly.

"Ranma will be staying with us from now on, so consider his requests to be the same as mine. However, you are not to take any orders from Genma; that's the panda hiding in the library right now. Treat him kindly but, if he has any requests, tell him to come to me."

"Ten-ten will gladly do anything Ranma-sama asks but will not follow Genma's order, as Oku-sama asks." she said, sounding more cheerful, as if she was happy to have two more people to look after.

"Very well, you may return to your duties." said Nodoka. The house-elf bowed to them both and, with another crack, disappeared from the kitchen. "What's wrong, Ranma-kun?" she asked, for he now wore a dazed expression.

"Well, it's just that this is a lot to take, all at once, you know?" he said, shaking his head. Ranma felt very strongly as if he were trying to fill a teacup with a firehose.

"Yes, it is quite a shock, finding out you can do magic. You're luckier than I was, though, because you'd seen real magic before you were told about being a wizard. Oh, how that shocked your grandparents."

"They didn't know about magic either?" asked Ranma. "But how-" Ranma's stomach cut him off, choosing to make itself heard. He blushed with embarassment.

"Goodness, what sort of mother am I? You must be starving. I just hope I have enough for you, from what your father's said, you've got quite an appetite." Without getting up, she pointed her wand at the small refrigerator and muttered "Accio". The door flew open and from inside came a parade of dishes and a carafe. When they had deposited themselves on the table, she repeated the spell, this time pointing at the cupboards to summon a cup, a bowl, and chopsticks. When they landed on the table, a wave of the wand lifted the covers on the dishes, all of which were mysteriously warmed, filled the bowl with rice, and filled the cup with water. "Please, have a bite and I'll tell you all about it."

"Itadakimasu!" said Ranma enthusiastically over folded hands before grabbing his chopsticks and digging in. His mother paused for a second, both amused and amazed at the speed the boy could eat.

"I think you were going to say 'But how did you become a witch?' The thing is, no amount of teaching will give you magical powers. Wizards and witches are born, not raised. Even though my parents were not magical, I, by some coincidence of genetics, was born a witch. Actually, since I'm on that subject, I guess I should tell you the story from the beginning.

"Your grandfather, Keichi, was a high ranking, important bureacrat in the government and his career kept having children on hold for many years. They didn't get around to having me until mother pestered him into it and, when I came along, they were in their mid-forties. I had a good childhood. Even though father was very busy he made time for me. I was also, well, a sort of odd child. Strange, unexplainable things always seemed to happen around me, which made it very hard for me in school. You know what they say, 'the nail that sticks out gets pounded down.' One day, when I was nine, father suddenly received a great honor; he was appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Father had always been something of an Anglophile, so I think it was a natural fit. Though it was uncommon, he decided that Mother and I would go with him. It was very exciting for me, though later I learned that part of the reason for moving was because my oddities were becoming a bit embarassing."

"That's not very nice." Ranma said after a particularly huge swallow of food.

"Don't think so badly of your grandfather. He was an old fashioned man that grew up before the war. He never treated me badly, but the perception of our family reflected on his career. Really, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he called in a favor to get the assignment, which was much nicer than him trying to force the 'oddness' out of me. I'm very glad he chose to take us to England." Ranma shrugged non-committally. "At any rate, we settled in London in a nice four storey flat near the Japanese Embassy. I attended a private school nearby for a couple of years. The odd things didn't stop entirely but they subsided a bit. Father was more busy than ever but we were happy exploring Britain when we had the chance. It was very nice to be away from the attention that I always got back here in Japan.

"One day in May, when I was eleven, Father was unexpectedly free for the day and we were planning an impromptu trip to the countryside when we received a call from a Professor Dumbledore. He said he was the headmaster of an exclusive private school in Scotland and that I had been selected to attend. Now, because my father was an ambassador, I was down for Eaton, an exclusive private school, but somehow he was persuaded to receive a visitor that morning to talk about this school. Not ten minutes later, that person was ringing our doorbell! Our butler announced that Ms. Minerva McGonagall had arrived for her appointment and led her into the sitting room. I remember laughing because she sternly corrected him that her she was _Professor_ Minerva McGonnagal.

"At first glance, you could tell that Professor McGonagall was a strict, upright woman. Everything about her was severe, even though she was barely forty. I remember she wore a long plaid overcoat and, when she took it off, we saw she had on a long-sleeved and high-collared white shirt with a long, black skirt with black boots that we could hardly see for the skirt. I thought she looked like pictures of teachers from the turn of the century, even down to the thin round glasses she wore! When she spoke, her voice was even crisp and direct, as if she was used to giving directions. In other words, she was the perfect person to talk to rather traditional Japanese parents. After the butler had served us tea, she introduced herself and, quite calmly, proceeded to turn our world upside down.

"'My name, as your butler said, is Professor Minerva McGonagall, and I have come by on behalf of Professor Dumbledore to talk to you about your daughter's future. As I am sure you are aware, your daughter is different. Many unexplainable things seem to happen to her. Mr. and Mrs. Kutaragi, I must first tell you that there is nothing wrong with your daughter. She is, in fact, very gifted. She has a gift that few are fortunate to receive." She glanced at me and I was suddenly very curious as to what she meant. "You see, your daughter is a witch and all of the odd occurrences were manifestations of her magical abilities."

"She paused to let the news sink in. The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. I was shocked, but a part of me seemed to take the news as confirmation. My parents were staring with their mouths open at the professor, who seemed to be expecting some sort of response. When it seemed obvious that they weren't going to respond, she continued. 'I assure you that I am telling you the truth and I can demonstrate it for you.' She pulled a wand from a pocket in her skirt and waved it at a teacup and saucer. They both turned into grey mice, which proceeded to dance a waltz. My mother jumped with fright and seemed ready to knock her chair over. Father simply started a bit and looked mystified but was, for the most part, calm. Another wave of the wand and the saucer and teacup were back to normal. By now, my shock had turned into excitement. 'I knew I wasn't crazy!' I said. "I knew it was magic!" She smiled at me (I wouldn't learn until later that her smiles were rare) and nodded, then turned back to my parents, who were regaining their composure.

"'As I mentioned before, I am here to discuss Nodoka's future, a future in a society that, until now, none of you knew existed. Wizards have existed in human society since the beginning, but we have voluntarily lived in secret for thousands of years. We live mostly separate from Muggles (what we call non-magical people). Occasionally, a witch or wizard is born to Muggles. We generally approach these Muggle-borns around their eleventh birthdays to tell them what they are and to invite them into our world.'

"'The first step into the Wizarding world, at least in Britain, is attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where young wizards and witches are instructed in the magical arts. Which brings me to why I am here.' She reached into another pocket and drew out a thick yellow envelope made of parchment paper and handed it to my father. 'That is a letter of invitation from Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, inviting Nodoka to attend Hogwarts this fall."

"My father opened the letter and read it over very carefully before handing it to my mother. Another minute of silence passed before my father spoke. 'Well, this all certainly makes sense. It's amazing, almost unbelievable, but at least we know nothing is wrong with Nodoka. However,' my stomach twisted into a knot, 'she has been accepted into Eaton, a very prestigious school. Why should we send her to this Hogwarts instead?' My mother looked bewildered that he seemed to be actually entertaining the thought of sending me off to a magic school.

"'_Hogwarts_ is a very prestigious school.' McGonogall replied with slight indignation. 'The school was founded over a thousand years ago by four of the greatest British wizards. It is one of the foremost institutions of magical instruction in the world. Students who graduate from the school will be well equipped to enter into all sorts of occupations in the Wizarding world.' She paused to allow my parents to consider this information. Knowing them as I did, I realized that she was, rather skillfully, beginning to convince them. 'Mr. Kutaragi, there are two very good reasons to allow Nodoka to attend Hogwarts. First, your daughter will learn and associate with children who are just like her. I cannot stress that enough. At Hogwarts, she wil not be singled out due to her gift. At Eaton, there is the chance that her magic will manifest itself, potentially continuing the trend of being the odd child. Second, you must know that she will never stop being a witch, but she can learn to control the magic within. If she does not go to Hogwarts, she may never learn to control it.'

"Somehow I knew, at that moment, that she had said the magic words, so to speak. I had already been sold; I didn't like the stuffy English private schools and wasn't looking forward to 7 more years of it at Eaton, the stuffiest of them all. Besides, magic, to someone my age, sounded much more interesting. No, my parents had to be convinced and I knew her mentioning my control over the magic and not being an outcast, for once, would go over well with my father. 'And how much is tuition?" he asked, though I think it was obvious that money would not be an issue.

"'It is our tradition to offer a place to all children who exhibit magical ability, tuition free. The only expense you will incur is for school books and various other supplies, all of which are detailed in that letter.'

"There was another pause before my parents had a quick and whispered conversation in Japanese. My mother was against the idea but my father seemed, at least, not against it. Finally, and surprisingly, he turned to me and asked what I wanted to do. ' I want to go to Hogwarts. ' I replied immediately. ' That settles it, then. ' Father said, ignoring Mother's protests.

"'Excellent! I think you'll be happy you chose Hogwarts' said Professor McGonogall, making us all jump a bit. "You were following our conversation? You understand Japanese?" asked my mother, speaking for the first time.

"'I have passable comprehension.' she replied airily. 'Now then, I won't intrude much longer. All of your supplies can be obtained in Diagon Alley here in London. I believe there are directions to it included in the letter. The entrance is in a pub called The Leaky Cauldron; Nodoka will be the only one that can see it. Ask Tom, the barman, to show you to Diagon Alley. If you proceed down Diagon Alley, you will be able to change money at Gringott's Wizarding Bank. Finally, the train for Hogwarts leaves from Platform 9 ¾ King's Cross Station at 9 am on September 1st.. That platform is directly between 9 and 10 and is an invisible entrance that looks like a wall; simply walk through it to reach the platform. Also, I advise you to purchase an Owl, otherwise, being Muggle-born, you will be quite out of contact with the Wizarding world unless you make your way to Diagon Alley.'

"She rose, shook hands with my parents, then shook hands with me and said 'If there are any further questions, send a letter to Albus Dumbledore; you can send them when you get to Diagon Alley. Oh, and I must say that, of all the Muggle parents I've talked to, you have handled this news best.'

"My father nodded. "Japan is very modern, but there are some things which we do not forget. We may not believe in magic, but we don't necessarily _not _believe in it.'

"'A most reasonable outlook.' she replied. "I shall see you in three months, Nodoka.' She bowed slightly and was shown out by our butler.

By now, Ranma had eaten his fill and was listening attentively. "What happened after that?"

"Well, we went to Diagon Alley - a wonderful place, I think you'll enjoy it – and I rode the train to Hogwarts for my first year at school. That, however" she said, noting a stifled yawn from Ranma, "is a story for another time. I have to make an early start tomorrow and, besides, it really is time that you were off to bed. Ten-ten will show you to your room." They rose from the table and she, again, wrapped him in a tight hug. "It's good to have you back home, Ranma-kun."

"It's good to be home." he whispered back.

To Be Continued...in Chapter 2: Potions and Preparations

Author's Notes:

Thank you for reading and I hope it was, at least, not too painful. This is my second attempt at writing this story, the first one having been lost to a hard drive mishap. All the better for the story, I think; the first version involved a 17 year old Ranma voluntarily eating a magic mushroom to make himself 11, just so he can go to Hogwarts at his mother's request. Anyway, this is yet another ambitious project I've set myself (see Heart of a Warrior), especially since I'm carving out a niche for Ranma to fill plus interesting background and sidestory. Will I ever finish the seven books? Don't count on it, but I don't see my Harry Potter obsession dwindling any time soon, so at least I'll probably update.

Incidentally, this story is written more with Ranma fans in mind than Harry Potter fans. If you're unfamiliar with Ranma, summaries are easy to find online. If you're unfamiliar with Harry Potter, I think you should stop and go read the books now before I do anymore spoiling of the story. If you know both, please bare with all the explanations of stuff that has been mentioned in the canon.

Be on the alert for the next chapter, which I'm 1/4th of he way into right now.

Sorry for making you read this boring A.N. section


	2. Potions and Preparations

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: and denote a different language (Japanese, more than likely).

**Chapter 2: Potions and Preparations**

The next day, Ranma awoke early. This was a habit instilled by his father, who always wanted to get in a bit of sparring before breakfast. Ranma did not feel that the day was off to a good start if he did not give his father a sound thrashing in the morning. He stretched and rolled off his futon, colliding painfully with the Western style bed that he had abandoned after a few minutes of uncomfortable tossing and turning the previous night. The room was large and, like most of the house, furnished in a Western fashion. Besides the four-post bed, there was a chest-of-drawers on one wall, a large rug covering the wood floor, and a small fireplace. The lower half of the walls were panelled with dark wood while the upper half was papered with a garnet and ivory striped wallpaper. Several candle sconces were on the walls and a large, gold-framed painting of a bowl of fruit hung over the fireplace.

After dressing and exiting his room, Ranma realized that he did not know where his father was, nor could he find his way back to the stairs. The hall's walls were panelled and papered like the room with a long red runner down the middle. At one end of the hall was a large window; the other end turned off to the left. After walking around for ten minutes and not finding the stairs, he realized he was very lost and wondered how he could get lost in what should have been a relatively small house.

"Is Ranma-sama needing anything?" said a high-pitched voice from a room he had just passed. Ranma jumped, wondering why he had not detect Ten-ten's presence.

"Uh, yeah." he replied. The elf looked positively ecstatic at his answer. "I, uh, sorta got lost and now I can't find the stairs. I'm trying to get to the kitchen."

"They is very tricky, Ranma-sama! They is hiding and is playing a joke on young master." She said, sounding irritated. She grabbed his arm and pulled him along past several rooms and the bathroom to a wide sitting area at the end of the hall. She pointed at a desk set up against the wall. "There they is, Ranma-sama."

"Where?"

"The desk, Ranma-sama. They is pretending!"

"But-" Ranma began, but suddenly he could see what she meant. The desk and the floor surrounding it shimmered and rippled. He squinted, and the desk became even less coherent. Below it, he could see the faint outline of stairs and a banister. "It's fake? The stairs made that?" Ten-ten nodded, looking pleased that he had caught on so quickly. "Weird. Say, have you seen my dad?"

"Master Genma is still asleep." she replied, and he could not help but notice a small note of derision in her voice.

"Figures. Can you go wake him up and send him down to the garden?"

"Yes, Ranma-sama." she said, bowing to him before scurrying off down the hall and around a corner.

Ignoring the mirage, Ranma headed down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, where he saw his mother sitting at the table, having tea and toast and reading a newspaper that seemed to be made of parchment. "Good morning, Ranma, what's got you up so early?" she asked.

Ranma shrugged. "We usually get up this early to spar."

"Would you like some breakfast?"

"Not yet, I can't really eat anything unless I've had a morning practice. I'm just waiting for Pops to come down."

"Well, I see the time on the road hasn't changed too much about him."

"Yeah, but I sent Ten-ten to wake him up and send him down so-" Ranma was cut off by a muffled yell of surprise followed by a splash from outside in the yard. Using a door from the kitchen, they ran outside to find a very wet and dazed panda in the large koi pond. Nodoka was trying, without much success, to hide her amusement. "Oh dear, I'm afraid she took you literally at your word." she said

Ranma hefted his father from the pond, caref to avoid getting too wet himself, after which Nodoka sprayed Genma with hot water from her wand, rendering him human once more. "That damn elf." he groused.

"Careful Genma, Ten-ten's ears are very good." teased Nodoka.

"Why'd she throw me out here anyway?" Genma asked grumpily as he squeezed the water from his bandanna.

"I told her to send you down here, but I didn't think she'd throw you." said Ranma, laughing. "You should've been up by now anyway. We're supposed to spar before breakfast, remember?"

"What's the point anyway?" Genma said darkly, more to himself than to Ranma.

"I have to train, obviously. What, you can't keep up anymore, old man?" said Ranma, goading his father.

Genma's face lit up with outrage. "I'll show you whose an 'old man', boy." said Genma to his now smirking son. "And keep it down, we don't need to be disturbing neighbors at this time of the morning."

"Don't worry about that, Genma." said Nodoka. "A bomb could go off over here and no one would know any better. I've put up a few protections since you've been gone."

"I didn't mean the noise, I meant that we should keep this fight below the roofline, for a change. I don't feel like explaining to someone why I crashed through their roof." Genma replied.

The two martial artists faced one another as Nodoka looked on with great interest. She had never seen Ranma display his skills, though she knew, from what Genma had been telling her for years, he was exceptional. Now, however, facing his tall and stout father, Ranma looked very small and insubstantial. Ranma, however, did not appear to be too concerned. His stance was very relaxed, while Genma seemed extremely concentrated. They bowed slightly, then launched at one another.

It was a very short match. They moved at speeds that Nodoka had only come to associate with Quidditch seekers, if not faster. Genma, at least, she could follow, though his hands and feet were blurs; Ranma seemed to almost teleport between places. In the span of thirty seconds, they had moved around the garden, onto the roof, and along the fence. In the end it was obvious, even to her untrained eye, why Genma had been concentrating so hard. Despite his youth and limited training, Ranma was simply faster and stronger than his father. She knew of Genma's extensive strength and skill which, at times, allowed him to do superhuman things. Now, seeing the two in action, Nodoka could understand why he was starting to say Ranma was "probably the best martial artist of his generation."

After a couple of minutes, Genma called an end to the fight, having picked himself up off the ground far too many times. "C'mon, old man, you're not giving up already, are ya?" said Ranma.

"Show a bit more respect for your elders, boy." Genma retorted, looking very irritated.

"Yeah yeah, you always say that when I beat you." Ranma looked disappointed at having to stop and, for a fleeting moment, Nodoka could clearly see that martial arts had a grip on her son so tight that he would probably never truly abandon it, even after the eye opening experience of magical education. It had not really seemed possible, in her mind, to compare magic to fighting, but it was clear, for that brief moment, that Ranma might well choose martial arts over magic. She forced this unsettling thought from her mind and led the way back into the kitchen, where she knew Ten-ten would have a large breakfast awaiting them.

Nodoka returned to her room to dress and, by the time her son and husband had finished their meal, she was ready to leave. "Well, I'll be off now. You boys will have to entertain yourselves until this afternoon."

"Where are you going?" asked Ranma.

"To work. I do half days at the Department of International Magical Cooperation as Liaison to the British ambassador."

"There are magical departments in the government?" asked Ranma, dumbstruck. "But I thought Muggles don't know about magic."

"Oh no, they're not in the Muggle Ministry." she replied, laughing. "No, we have a Ministry of Magic to oversee the magic community."

"And...and you're an ambassador?" asked Genma.

"No, merely a the primary contact for the wizard from the British Ministry of Magic."

"But you weren't even in the Ministry when we left!" Genma said, sounding incredulous. "How'd you move up so fast?"

"Hard work and good luck, I suppose." she replied airily, so that both Ranma and Genma looked at one another with raised eyebrows. She ignored them and headed towards the door to the sitting room. "Anyway, I really must be going. I shall see you both later."

"Mom, the front door's the other way." Ranma said.

"Yes, Ranma-kun, I know, but I'm taking the Floo."

"Huh?"

"Sorry, I forgot about how much you don't know. The Floo Network is a way of travelling for wizards. You basically travel by enchanted fire through fireplaces connected to the network. It's very quick and convenient, if a bit dusty." They followed her into the sitting room, where there was a large fireplace big enough for a man to stand in upright. She opened a box on the mantle and pulled out a handful of dust with her left hand, then used her wand to start a fire. She threw the dust into the fire, which grew larger and turned emerald green. She stepped into the fire, turned and waved at them, then said "Entry Hall, Ministry of Magic!" She began to spin around like a top before disappearing with a -pop!-.

"Whoa." said Ranma, looking at his father, who did not seem impressed. "So, what're we practicing today?"

"It doesn't matter. Do whatever you want. You don't still need _my_ help, do you?" Genma replied, suddenly sounding bitter. "Besides, you over-did it a bit. I think I'll go lie down."

Ranma shrugged to himself as he watched his father leave the room and wondered what had gotten into him. Normally, Genma would have jumped at the chance to train him but, since they had begun their journey back to Tokyo, the man had cared less and less about training. Ranma had even gone easy on him that morning. He resolved to keep an eye on his father.

Ranma spent the rest of the morning getting to know the lay of the house, as was his habit in unfamiliar surroundings. Most of the house was unfamiliar, though occasionally he would encounter an area that he could vaguely remember. More unsettling were the rooms which all had identical views outside into the yard. When he went outside to inspect this oddity, he found that the house itself appeared, from the outside, to be too small for its interior. He went back inside to find Ten-ten, who explained it to him. "Oku-sama expanded the insides but not the outsides."

"How long ago was that?"

"Oku-sama is doing this after Ten-ten is coming to work for Oku-sama. Ten-ten remembers, because old Master is giving Ten-ten c-c-clothes." She shivered when saying the last word, as if re-living something unpleasant. "But Ten-ten isn't being sad because old Master isn't freeing Ten-ten for being bad, he is giving Ten-ten great honor by giving Ten-ten to Oku-sama. Now Ten-ten is happy with a whole house to look after!"

"Wait a minute...'freeing'?" asked Ranma, thinking about what she had said. "And someone gave you to my mother?"

She nodded. "Oku-sama is needing a servant and old Master is needing gold. Old Master's business isn't doing good and old Master isn't being able to afford keeping Ten-ten, so old Master is selling Ten-ten to Oku-sama."

"But that's slavery!"

"Ten-ten is happy to help old Master! That is why Ten-ten is not sad that Old Master gave clothes."

"What's so special about clothes?"

"If Master gives house elf clothes, house elf is f-f-free!" she said, sounding as if such a thing were a death sentence. "But old Master isn't freeing Ten-ten because Ten-ten is bad, so Ten-ten isn't disgraced."

"Wait...so you _want_ to be a slave?"

"Ten-ten wants to serve wizards, yes."

Ranma shook his head, trying to wrap his head around the concept. His mother was a slave owner and her slave was happy to be enslaved, and apparently this was a normal thing in the wizarding world. He decided to not think about it too hard before it made his head hurt; he would ask his mother about it when she returned. At least one thing was clear in his mind; he now understood why Ten-ten was wearing towels as a dress.

He let Ten-ten get back to her chores and returned to exploring the house. In the library, he discovered a wall covered in framed pictures, many, he was surprised to see, were of him over the last seven years. He was looking at one, taken when he was about nine years old, when the Ranma in the picture stretched and yawned. He yelped with surprise but quickly calmed himself when he saw the other pictures moving as well. They were magical, of course. He wondered how many more familiar things he would discover that now had a jarring, magical note.

Ranma lingered in the room long enough to look over the other photographs. There were a few of an old Japanese couple who, from the stillness of their pictures, he guessed were his grandparents. As they had died before he was born, and because he had left home at the age of four, he did not remember them, so he made a mental note to ask his mother more about them. The other pictures featured his mother with various people, most of whom were not Japanese. They were all smiling and waving out of the pictures.

He wandered through several more rooms, spare bedrooms from the looks of them, before running into a locked room. He seriously considering picking the lock but, when he twisted the doorknob again, wishing it would not be locked, the door provided no resistance and swung forward. The candles on the wall immediately flickered to life and the drapery slid aside, letting sunlight pour into the room. The room was as large as the library, at least fifteen feet square. It was decorated and furnished quite unlike the rest of the house. A fine wooden desk and a high backed chair were situated in a corner on a large rug. Several smaller chairs sat in front of the desk. Along one wall, below a window, was a settee with a coffee table, on which were a few magazines and a couple thick, leatherbound books. Along the other walls were display cases stocked with bottles of all sizes and colors. Another door lead outside of the house and there was a bell above the door.

Ranma had hardly taken a step into the room when, with a loud -crack!- that startled him, Ten-ten appeared. "Ranma-sama! You isn't supposed to be in here!"

"Why not? What is this room?"

"This is Oku-sama's office. Oku-sama is going to be very angry at us!"

"But the door was open. Anyway, you didn't do anything, why would she be mad at you?" he asked.

Ten-ten could not seem to find an appropriate answer to this, so she fell back on reprimanding him. "You isn't supposed to be in here!" she said, tugging on his arm to pull him from the room. Ranma being exceptionally strong, somewhat taller than her, and unwilling to leave the room at the moment, she could not move him an inch. Instead, she was dragged into the room quite against her will. Ranma was so interested in the room that he did not notice her struggling against him as he looked around.

"Ranma, I think you're going to give Ten-ten a hernia if you keep dragging her around." said an amused Nodoka from the door. Ranma was startled once again; he was not accustomed to anyone approaching undetected. He looked down at his left arm, next to which he now noticed Ten-ten looking very apologetically at his mother.

"Oku-sama, Ten-ten tried to tell Ranma-sama he isn't supposed to be in Oku-sama's office..."

Nodoka waved her hand dismissively. "It is quite all right, Ten-ten. I must not have locked the door properly. For future reference, however, Ranma is welcome in here, but thank you for your concern, nonetheless. Now, if you do not mind, please prepare tea for us."

"Yes Oku-sama." the elf replied, sounding extremely relieved, before disappearing again.

"Don't mind Ten-ten. She is an excellent house elf which, of course, means she is almost overprotective. They take their employment very seriously." Nodoka said.

Ranma was suddenly reminded of his conversation with Ten-ten earlier that morning. "Mom, about Ten-ten...she said...she said that you bought her from someone. Is that true?"

Nodoka seemed startled by the question. "That is correct." she said gravely.

"So she's your slave then?" he asked, not quite keeping the accusatory tone out of his voice.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that. But you must understand that house elves want to be the servants of wizards. I know that sounds strange to you, Ranma, but surely even Ten-ten said as much to you." He nodded but still looked unconvinced. "Believe me, I'd love to treat her as a servant, pay her, give her holidays, but even suggesting such things to a house elf is highly insulting."

"So she just works for you for free? And you're ok with having her as your slave?"

"Not slave. Servant. And even though she won't allow me to give her a salary or holidays, I try to make up for it. She has a full size room here in the house which I've furnished very well. Her towels are the best that I can find in Japan and the pins that hold them together are gold. I take her on holiday with me and have her do very little while we're gone. I insist that she eats the same food I do and I even try to get her to take meals with me, which she has steadfastly resisted for years. I doubt you'll find any house elf in Japan that is treated better."

"I guess..." he said, sounding unsure. "It's just...I don't understand..."

"How anyone could want to be enslaved? Yes, it is strange and I don't doubt our wizard ancestors had something to do with it. Unfortunately, it is among the many things you must learn to tolerate in the Wizarding world that are different from the Muggle world. But, as only very old or rich families tend to have house elves, you will probably not see another besides Ten-ten for a long time."

The elf returned at that moment carrying a silver tea tray laden with a decidedly non-Japanese silver tea service. In addition, there were china cups and saucers, silver spoons, a small china pitcher of milk, and a plate of pastries with butter on the side. She set the tray down on the desk, curtsied, and exited. Noting her son's confusion, Nodoka explained what Ten-ten had brought out. "This is an English tea service. I grew rather fond of them during my years in Britain. Ten-ten brews an excellent Earl Grey and her scones are very good." She motioned for him to sit while she poured the tea.

Ranma looked interestedly at the items on the neat desk as he enjoyed a scone. On the left was a stack of parchment in a wooden bin, next to which was a small bottle of scarlet ink and several quills. Beneath the silver tea tray he could see several sheaves of parchment with writing he could not quite read. A candlestick holding a half-burned candle sat to the right, flanked by two small plaquards, one reading "International Alchemical Society Fellow" and the other reading "Certified Mistress of Potions".

"I trust you weren't too bored this morning while I was out." Nodoka said, sitting down. She added a bit of milk to her tea and took a sip.

"Just looked around. I found out the house is bigger in here than it is outside." Ranma replied, grabbing another scone. "But you're home early. It's only been a couple of hours."

"Yes, well, the office is a bit slow, what with Hermesia Beckancall, the British ambassador, back in England for a month. I only had a bit of, er, 'business' to take care of, and it went surprisingly smooth." She sipped her tea again, looking pleased with herself. "Now then, I want to ask you something: How well do you understand English? "

Ranma, who had spent, collectively, nearly two years in English speaking countries during his travels, understood her fairly well. "I understand English ok." he replied with a shrug.

" No no, in English please. " she said gently.

He frowned with concentration before dredging a response out of his memory. " I am understanding good English, demo...not good speaking. " he said, feeling embarassed at his poor English.

"Hmmm...well, your English is better than I expected, and you can understand it well enough. This won't be such an uphill battle after all." She set her cup down and looked at him. "If Dumbledore accepts you, you'll need to improve your English so, from now on, I'll be giving you English lessons. After a few months, you'll have a reasonable enough grasp of the language, I think."

Ranma nodded, though in his mind he was thinking of how much he disliked studying. His eyes fell to the plaquards and a question rose to the surface. "Mom, what's a 'Potions Mistress'?"

She followed his gaze and smiled with understanding. "Ah. Well, I suppose a Potions Master or Mistress would be the equivalent of a Muggle chemist. We specialize in the preparation of magical potions. All wizards and witches are trained in the basics of potion making but becoming certified as a Potions Master or Mistress is a long and difficult process. Fortunately, I learned early on that I had a head for the subject so I was able to apply myself towards becoming certified. The hard work has had its compensations." She gestured around the room.

"So you make potions? In here?" Ranma asked, looking around for any signs of equipment.

"Oh no, I have a laboratory in the basement where I do my work. In fact..." she looked expectantly at her son, "would you like to see it?"

"Sure!" he replied, hopping out of his seat excitedly. For some reason he could not quite understand, Ranma was extremely anxious to learn more about magical potions, far more than he wanted to learn about the wand magic he had already seen.

Nodoka led the way out of the office and into the kitchen, opening a door that seemed to open into nothingness. "Watch this first step." she warned as she stepped forward. Ranma almost tripped into the darkness as he saw her tilt forward and step onto a staircase that was _perpendicular_ to the rest of the house. Taking a very big, dry swallow, he followed her, feeling, for just a moment, as if he were falling forward, before gravity righted itself again and he was standing on the staircase. He slowly walked up (or was it down?) the stairs after his mother, watching candelabra flicker to life along the brick walls of the narrow stairwell. Soon they had stepped off the stairs and into a large and brightly lit room that looked like a combination of a chemical lab and a storage room.

The floor of the room, like the walls and ceiling, were made of old brick that had been smoothed over by years of wear. To the left was an open door through which Ranma could see stacks of boxes. An ornate stone sink and basin stood next to the door. On the right, glass-windowed wooden cabinets lined one wall, inside of which was a myriad of glass jars filled with all manner of liquids, powders, and other objects he could not quite make out. A bookcase was built into the rear wall and was full of volumes of varying thickness. A large, U-shaped island work area was the center piece of the room. It's surface was cluttered with glass phials, jars of ingredients, scales of various sizes, and small, rounded gold pots, which issued vapor as they simmered over little fires of different colors. In the middle of the "U" was a large bronze pot hanging over a circular recess in the floor made of fire-blackened brick. Next to the pot was a skinny book stand that held an enormous, dog-eared, leatherbound book, opened and marked by a scarlet ribbon.

"Well, this is my laboratory. This is where the magic happens, so to speak. Feel free to walk around and look." she said, looking pleased as her son excitedly walked about the room. He peered into the cabinets, marvelling over the glass jars of pickled animals and various phials of shimmering liquids that changed colors as he watched. Ranma then turned his attention to the simmering pots with interest. "What's in these?" he asked, pointing at them.

"Those are a few simple healing potions that I'm concentrating. I supply a few apothecaries with them, which they dilute and bottle. That is, unfortunately, the bulk of my business, brewing and concentrating relatively simple potions for others. These days, most people are too busy or unskilled to make their own potions and there is a strong demand for the more common ones. They're very boring to make, but what can you do? All of that boring work funds my research. I won't complain too much, it's allowed me the time and money to invent a few potions that have become rather successful." She waved her wand at the large cauldron and a fire blazed beneath it. "Now then, I've received a more interesting commission yesterday that I'd like to start today. This potion will certainly do more than heal cuts or cure a migraine!"

Ranma perked up instantly, excited at the prospect of watching the creation of a magic potion. "Can I watch?" he asked.

"Actually, I'll need an assistant for this one. Usually I'd have Ten-ten help me but, if you're not busy, I was hoping you would take her place today." Ranma smiled widely at her.

Nodoka and Ranma worked in the laboratory until lunch, then returned to continue working on the potion. To Ranma's surprise and Nodoka's great delight, he seemed to have inherited her intuitive grasp of potion making. He found the process was very similar, in many respects, to cooking, a skill which he had finely honed out of necessity while travelling with his lazy father. "That's mostly true, though most children won't have had enough experience to make that connection." she said, sounding impressed when he had voiced this observation. She looked fit to burst with pride. "You seem to understand potions as well, maybe better, than I did when I first went to Hogwarts. Between you and me," her voice dropped so low that he almost could not hear her, "you're much better than Ten-ten." Her voice resumed it's normal volume. "I would like for you to continue assisting me down here. It'd be a good head start for you, I think, and I can show you a few tricks of the trade."

The Saotomes fell into comfortable routine, at least as far as Ranma and Nodoka were concerned. Genma seemed particularly sullen and would only get out to spar if Ranma made pointed comments about his father's pride and how he had nothing else to learn from Genma. Otherwise, Genma spent his days in his panda form, laying about the house and, Ranma was sure, sneaking bottles of sake, for he reeked of alcohol by the end of the day. Ranma spent his mornings training alone in the garden or, if he felt bored, following Ten-ten around the house and asking her about herself. This flustered the elf to no end, especially since she was now required to speak to him only in English. Between talking to Ten-ten and the tough English lessons Nodoka had set him to improve his reading and writing (which she called a "crash course"), he was beginning to remember more of the language.

Some evenings, instead of working in the laboratory, they would just sit in the library and talk ("English only," as Nodoka would admonish) for hours about the wizarding world while Genma sulked in a corner in his panda form, playing listlessly with his beach ball. The ostensible reason was to improve Ranma's conversational ability, but he quickly realized that his mother had missed their company for so many years because she seemed determined to make up for all the time they had not talked. She regaled him with reminiscences of her time in Britain, the goings-ons at the Ministry of Magic, the state of the Japanese magical community, and, rather vociferously, a wizard game called "Quidditch", of which he could tell that, for all her fervor for the game, she was not very knowledgable. Ranma found this all very interesting, if a bit overwhelming. There were a lot of things about being a wizard that he would have to learn.

One afternoon, when his mother had sent him on an errand to find a particular book in the library, Ranma discovered another activity to pass the time: reading. He had never been much for studying or reading for fun because martial arts had taken up most of his time. Now, however, with not much to do beyond studying, training, and talking with his mother, he was almost beginning to miss having a television (an appliance which, according to Nodoka, most wizards would never have heard of, let alone have seen). But, in the course of searching for that particular book, he discovered volumes of strange and interesting books, from dusty, handwritten tomes to freshly printed novels with moving illustrations, almost all of which were written by wizards, for wizards, and about wizards. A week after arriving at the house, Ranma was more likely to be found, in his free time, inside reading or studying English than outside honing his fighting skills, a fact that seemed to depress Genma even further.

Nearly two weeks had passed in the Saotome household when, after they had finished dinner and retired to the library for the evening's English lesson, the sound of a small bell rang through the house, startling Ranma and Genma. Nodoka looked up from the book she had just opened and, recognizing the sound, said, "Ah, I thought we might be seeing her around now." Seeing the puzzled look on her son's face, she continued. "That ringing is a signal from Ryouko whenever she's returned with post. There's a bell out in her tree that she can prod with her beak and it rings through the whole house."

A loud -crack!- signalled the arrival of Ten-ten and it was a credit to Ranma's adjustment to the house that he did not jump at the noise. She was carrying Ryouko on her outstretched right arm as she had before and presented the owl to Nodoka, who untied the roll of parchment from her leg. "Excellent, you've made good time without overworking yourself, Ryo-chan." she said, smiling at the bird and stroking its fine black face. Ryouko clicked her beak affectionately. "Ten-ten, give her a little treat, whatever she likes. I think she deserves it."

As the owl and the elf left the room, Nodoka slid her wand tip across the parchment's seal and unrolled it, then wave the wand over the parchment to make it lie flat. She read it quickly, a small smile spreading over her face as she did, before handing it to Ranma to read. It was a letter, written in neat, cursive English, addressed to his mother and dated five days prior. It read:

**Dear Nodoka;**

**It was a most pleasant surprise to hear from you. I do, of course, keep an eye out for news of my former students, but it is far more enjoyable to have a direct line, so to speak. I hope that this letter finds you and your family in good health and spirits.**

**I am glad to hear that your son Ranma is now of age to attend wizarding school. However, I was rather surprised to learn that you wished for him to attend Hogwarts as opposed to the Mahou no Gakuen no Nippon. That notwithstanding, there are, as you know, only two requirements for acceptance to Hogwarts: recognizable magical ability and residence in the United Kingdom. I have made an inquiry as to the first case with your Ministry and it seems that Ranma is, indeed, on the list for Japan's school. On the other hand, your residence is in Tokyo, which does present a difficulty. I'm sure, however, that if I were to receive proof of your family's residence in the United Kingdom by the second week of July, we could find a place for Ranma at Hogwarts.**

**I look forward to hearing from you again in the next couple of months.**

**Your servant,**

**Albus Dumbledore**

**P.S. - Please give my regards to Kishimoto-sensei.**

Ranma read the letter twice before looking back at his mother, who seemed to be taking the bad news rather well. All of the talk of the school and his excitement with learning magic had built up his expectations, only to now find that he was only qualified to go to the "Mahou no Gakuen no Nippon" (Magic Academy of Japan), a school he knew nothing about. He did not doubt that it was a good school, as Japanese schools were reputed to be, but of all the schools in all the countries he had ever been to, the Japanese ones were the least enjoyable. "Well, there goes Hogwarts, I guess." he said, feeling rather disappointed.

"Don't sound so disappointed, Ranma-kun. I wouldn't count Hogwarts out just yet." she said, and Ranma could detect a subtle tone in her voice, as if she knew something significant.

"But he basically said we'd have to move there..."

"Yes, I expected as much."

"But what's the point of these lessons if I can't go to school there?"

She patted him on the hand reassuringly. "You needn't worry about that. This letter has not derailed the plan to get you to Hogwarts in the slightest." Nodoka grinned at her not-so-reassured son. "Have faith, Ranma-kun. If we _delegate _the problem to fate, I'm sure something will turn up." And she would not discuss the letter for the rest of the night.

Several days later, Nodoka stepped out of the fireplace looking rather windswept, as if she had literally flown in. As he welcomed her home, Ranma could see that she seemed in a hurry, tossing her travelling cloak and wizard hat ont the coat rack. "I have something to show you," she said, not quite disguising the note of excitement from her voice as she swept from the room, heading for the library. Ranma followed, wondering if she had a new potion recipe to show him.

When they reached the room, she dropped two newspapers onto the table and motioned for him to read them. "I think you'll find something interesting in there." she said as calmly as she could sound. He sat down and looked at the first paper called the Tokyo Legilimens, which looked very similar to the tabloids he had seen during a brief stay in America and which his mother read daily. He scanned the front page before stopping on an article that had been circled with scarlet ink. The tagline read:

**Mayura-san Announces Retirement from Ambassadorship**

**Saotome-san Tapped as Replacement**

Ranma stared at the line, wide-eyed, unable to process the information. He looked up at his mother to say something but she stopped him. "Keep reading." she said, looking extremely triumphant. He read on.

**"Sasuke Mayura-san, Magic Ambassador to the United Kingdom, announced his retirement today after serving fifteen years in the position. The Minister of Magic, Aika Nakahara-san, praised the outgoing Ambassador for his years of dedication to bringing the magical communities of Japan and Britain closer together. Following long-standing Ministry tradition, Nakahara-san deferred to Mayura-san in choosing his replacement. Mayura-san immediately named Nodoka Saotome, Liaison to the British Magic Ambassador, as his successor. The appointment of someone so young and with so few years in the Ministry came as a surprise to many. However, Mayura-san gave Saotome-san the highest praise.**

**'Nodoka Soatome has served with distinction since joining the Ministry as the Liaison to the British Ambassador. I am confident that, with her years of living in the U.K. and the experience in her former position, she will continue her trend of excellence and help increase cooperation between the British and Japanese Ministries of Magic.'**

**In the wake of Mayura-san's retirement, Nakahara-san appointed – Continued on Page 5"**

Ranma set the paper down and quickly snatched up the other. Unlike the Legilimens, this one, called the Daily Prophet, was in English. He quickly scanned the front page, finally locating his mother's name in an article.

** Japanese Ambassador Mayura Retires, Names Saotome as Successor**

**The Japanese Ambassador for Magic, Sasuke Mayura, today announced his retirement after serving in the position for fifteen years. Cornelius Fudge, Minsiter for Magic, called the outgoing ambassador "a gentleman whose years of dedicated service have brought the magical communities of Britain and Japan into closer cooperation." Mayura is credited with, among other things, the drafting and signing of a treaty between Japan and Britain that protects the silver fur salmon, a magical creature which was brought near extinction because of it's magical and culinary properties.**

**Mayura chose Nodoka Saotome as his successor, promoting her from the post of Liaison to the British Ambassador. This new position would mark the return of Saotome to Britain, where she attended Hogwarts School fo Witchcraft and Wizardry as well as worked briefly in the Ministry of Magic. Saotome comes into the position highly regarded by both Mayura and Hermesia Beckancall, Ambassador for Magic to Japan. Said Beckancall of Saotome: CONTINUED ON Page 3>**

Ranma looked up to his mother, his hands shaking with excitement. "You-you're Ambassador to Britain? Does that mean..."

"That we'll be moving to Britain? It does." She said, beaming. "I am expected to report to the embassy in London on the first of July. We will, however, be moving there next month."

Ranma's mind was reeling. Ever since reading Dumbledore's letter, he had resigned himself to going to magic school in Japan. Suddenly, his mother was appointed to a position in Britain and he would be able to attend Hogwarts! In the back of his mind, he remembered how confident his mother had been that something would turn up to solve the problem. It all seemed very convenient, maybe even too convenient. Before he could say anything, though, his father made his presence known.

"What do you mean 'we'll be moving to Britain'?" asked Genma, startling both Ranma and Nodoka. Ranma had not felt his father's presence and he felt certain that the man had been listening in since they had been in the room. It could not have been clearer that he knew exactly what Nodoka had meant and was not happy about it.

"I should think it would be crystal clear, _dear_, unless you've suddenly become incapable of understanding Japanese." Nodoka replied coldly.

"I understood just fine, except the part where you didn't ask _me_ if that was ok." said Genma, his voice, too, becoming chilly.

Nodoka smiled tightly. "Oh yes, well, pardon me, but _your_ approval is irrelevant."

Genma drew up in what was an admittedly impressive manner. Gone was the obsequious manner with which Genma usually approached his wife; he was openly challenging her now. "Is that right? You think I'll just let you take Ranma to England?"

Nodoka was not intimidated in the least and drew herself up even more impressively. "Yes, you _will_, just as I allowed you take him all over the world for seven years. Or have you forgetten our agreement?" And, like that, Genma deflated like a punctured balloon. "As for you, Genma, you may stay here if you like or come with us to London. Either way, Ranma and I will be on our way to London in two weeks, whether you _approve_ or not." With the air of a woman who had resolved a minor annoyance and was focusing on a more pressing task, she turned back to Ranma and ignored her husband.

During this exchange, Ranma stayed very quiet, not wanting to incur the wrath of either of his parents. When Nodoka had turned her attention back to him, her eyes blazing in the aftermath of the short argument with her husband, he decided that his question about her promotion could wait until a moment when she was not furious. "Now then, Ranma, I'm afraid that your English lessons are going to become more intensive, as I won't have nearly as much time to instruct you when we get to London." she said with an obvious effort to control her voice. "I'm afraid that I'll be winding up my business and filling out the last of my orders, so I hope you won't mind doing a some tedious work to help me get all of it finished within the next two weeks."

"No, that's fine, really." he said hastily.

"Thank you for being so understanding, Ranma-kun. I really wanted to show you more, but I think what you've learned so far will give you a good leg up." She said, patting him on the shoulder. "Now then, lunch, I think, and then on to the laboratory."

"Right, I'll be in there in a second, I just need to talk to Pops first." he said, trying to sound aloof. She cast a questioning glance over him but nodded before walking into the kitchen, leaving her son and husband alone together. An awkward silence fell between them. "Well, what is it?" Genma grunted, sounding very sour.

Ranma screwed up his courage and then asked a question that had been in the back of his mind since they had arrived at the house. "Why don't you want me to go to Hogwarts?"

Genma opened his mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it and closed his mouth again. "Look, it's not that I don't want you to go." he said, looking away from his son, who could tell, after years of seeing his father lie, that this was not the truth. "Besides, I haven't taught you half of what you need to know to inherit the Saotome Ryu."

Ranma frowned. "Are you serious? Pops, I already learned everything you know."

"Don't get so full of yourself just because I let you win every now and then!" Genma retorted, anger creeping into his voice again. "There are a few things I've kept up my sleeve."

"You _are_ serious..." said Ranma. He wondered if his father was referring to the technique scrolls he kept hidden or if, perhaps, Genma was referring to techniques so advanced that he never needed to use them. "But why won't you teach me everything, if that's such a big deal?"

"It's not that simple. Your body's not ready yet." said Genma. "I never expected you to learn everything so quickly..."

"So what's the problem with me going off to wizard school and picking up training again in a few years?"

"Hmmph. By then you won't care about martial arts anymore, you'll only care about being a wizard."

"If that's what you think, why'd you bother teaching me anything?" said Ranma angrily. "I love the Saotome Ryu, it's pretty much all I've known, and I'm good at it! But if you want to quit just because I want to learn about magic, go ahead! I'll just go find Soun Tendo or Happosai to-"

"What did you say?" Genma cut across, whipping his head around to look penetratingly at his son. "Where did you hear those names?"

"From you. You talk a lot when you're drunk, you know. I know all about your old training partner and sensei, the only other people besides you that knows Anything Goes martial arts." Ranma replied. "Pops, I'm telling you...no, I promise you, on my honor, that I'm not going to abandon the Saotome Ryu. But I don't want you to abandon me, either, just because I want to go to magic school!"

Though he looked chastised, Genma did not respond. He was looking at Ranma as if he had never properly seen his son and was only now getting the full measure. "You don't need my permission to go, if that's what you want." he said gruffly.

"I don't want that. Just say it's okay for me to go."

"Fine."

"And that you'll train me during the summer."

"I said-" Genma stopped short and looked at his son, who was smiling at him. His features softened slightly. "Yeah, I, uh, I guess that'll work." And even though he was as gruff as ever over the next few weeks, through all of the preparations to leave Japan, Ranma knew that he had his father's approval and that, the next summer, their training would be back to normal.

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 3: Diagon Alley**

Author's Notes:

A month passes and another chapter is finished. Sorry to anyone who thought this would be swiftly moving, but real life has been calling, as usual. I think it will please all 1281 of you who viewed the first chapter to know that the third chapter will be released within another day or two. See, I originally was going to have this huge 2nd chapter to fill in some detail before getting right to Harry and Hogwarts. The chapter turned out to be twice the size of the first chapter, had two logical stopping points, and covered two portions of time that, upon re-reading, seriously needed some separation. So I chopped it in two, the first half of which you just read. The second part needs a bit of tweaking and some more content before I release it, but I think you'll find it worth the extra day's wait.

Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter (go-go gadget ego-boost!) and a special thanks to the reviewers for taking a bit of time to say a little something. Don't be afraid to rip me to shreds if necessary, I can always use the feedback (especially when I start straying OOC m/()m/ ). Anyway, thanks for reading and please look forward to the next chapter.

Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section


	3. Diagon Alley

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: and denote a different language (Japanese, more than likely). Please note that this chapter contains and is inspired by excerpts from Chapter 5 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits).

**Chapter 3: Diagon Alley**

The weeks flew by in a flurry of activity, much of which involved heavy lifting and packing in addition to long hours in the laboratory and the library. It was not often that Ranma went to bed exhausted, but for two weeks straight he did, as all of the Saotome family's affairs were set in order. Genma decided to accompany his wife and son to London, which was only a surprise to Nodoka, who had not witnessed the conversation between the males. Between the four inhabitants of the house, everything was squared away by the morning of their departure.

A solitary mover had been sent by the moving company to haul off and transport their belongings. This seemed odd to Ranma until he saw her levitate everything into an infinitely expanding silk bag that, when she had closed it, was no larger than a handkerchief. Nodoka locked the house and performed a few charms on the house that she read from a piece of parchment. "Just a bit of protection from magical pests like doxies. They're the only things besides our family that can enter the place." she said.

They were going to use the Floo to get to the Portkey Station, where they were going to take a portkey to London. "Just a little advice: take a deep breath before stepping into the fire unless you want a mouthful of soot. And say the destination loudly and clearly." advised Nodoka. The four of them each stepped into the fireplace and said "Portkey Transportation Terminal."

Ranma thought that traveling by Floo was an odd sensation, though not in a physical way. Standing in fire that did not burn was certainly strange, but his training made the disorienting spinning and speed of the Floo easier to bare. No, what was odd was that, as fast as they were going, he was still able to focus his vision quickly enough to see out of each grate quite clearly. For the first time since discovering that he was a wizard, he was able to get quick glimpses of other wizards and witches in real life. From what little he saw from the hundreds of houses he passed, his mother's house was much different from those of other Japanese wizards, whose homes were more or less like those of modern Japanese Muggles. He snapped out of this reverie when something made him feel as if he needed to get out of the fireplace. With a firm stride, he stepped forward out of the fireplace and into the portkey terminal.

The terminal was a large, bustling building that, in his mind, looked like a cross between an airport and a bus terminal. People milled about, some stopping to check a wooden sign marked "Arrivals and Departures" whose letters were magically changing to different gates and times. To the left and right, people were going into and out of dozens of fireplaces. In the distance, to his right, he saw a group of people holding a long wooden rod that looked more than twenty five feet in length. Without warning, they were all rapidly sucked away into a tiny dot in the center of the rod before the dot itself vanished, leaving a loud -pop!- and a rush of air to fill the space. Though his mother had explained all about portkeys, ordinary objects charmed to magically "pull" anyone who touched them to another location, he was still thrilled to see one in action.

"Ranma, this way." called Nodoka, who was standing with two people he had not met. One was a dark-gray haired Japanese man of medium build and average height who was wearing teal robes and looked to be near his mother's age. Next to him was a white woman of about fifty years, in plum-colored robes and a matching wizard's hat, who was about the same height as Nodoka and had long brown hair that was just beginning to go gray. " Masamune, Hermesia, allow me to introduce my husband, Genma,>" Genma shook hands with them both and Ranma could see a flicker of surprise that Genma was a Muggle, " and my son, Ranma. This is Masamune Shirow, who is taking my place as Liaison to the British Ambassador, and Hermesia Beckancall, the British Ambassador.>"

Ranma bowed slightly to both of them before shaking their hands. Masamune enthusiastically shook his hand, much as a subordinate would to score points with their boss. " It's a pleasure to meet you, Ranma, Nodoka has told me so much about you.>" he said.

" Indeed she has.>" said Hermesia. " I hear you're of age for wizard school. Lucky for you your mother got a promotion! Hogwarts is a lovely school, I really think you'll enjoy it. I know your mother did, with all she got up to there.>"

" You went to school together?>" asked Ranma.

" Only a year. Hermesia was head girl when I was a first-year. I believe I may have been a bit, er, _rambunctious_ my first few years.>" Nodoka replied.

" Rambunctious indeed. " Hermesia laughed. " Between the prefects and Filch, I can't say who was more successful at catching you when you were up to your mischief.>"

" Yes, I did seem to get a lot of detention, didn't I? " Nodoka agreed, astonishing her son, who would never have believed his mother was anything more than a model student. " Hermesia, I'd love to chat, but I believe our portkey will be leaving in a few minutes. Thank you both for seeing me off. I will, of course, be at your service if you need me.>"

" Do have a good time of it, Nodoka. I'm sure I'll be seeing you within a few months.>" Hermesia said.

She shook hands with them both and bowed slightly to them before turning around and leading Ranma, Genma, and Ten-ten towards Gate 5, where their portkey to London was scheduled to leave. Nodoka handed their tickets to a wizard at the gate, who gestured for them to join the growing group of wizards and witches that were taking a hold of the portkey. "It'll only be another minute or so." said Nodoka, glancing at the large clock in the station. They all grabbed the rod and, after a few minutes, the gate wizard announced the departure of the portkey. Nodoka looked at her son and said "This might feel a little weird."

Ranma suddenly had the feeling that he was being jerked forward by his navel. His stomach felt plastered to his back. He wanted to let go of the rod but his hand was clamped on with an iron grip. He tried to look around to his family but saw only blurry flashes of light. A second, a minute, an hour passed, he could not tell, when he felt the pull on his navel stop abruptly as his hand finally released the portkey. His feet hit the ground rather hard but he maintained his balance and, seeing his mother stumble, he grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling. Ranma looked around at the station, which looked much like the one they had just left except for the English signs. The voice of the gate wizard, sounding slightly bored, said "Welcome to London. Please proceed to Customs and have your passport ready." His mother squeezed his shoulder and smiled at him. Ranma smiled back. They had finally arrived.

The following two weeks were as busy as the previous two, only this time Ranma felt as if things were moving in reverse. They were moving into 13 Brandywine Court, a rather spacious flat in the city that Ranma found to be strangely familiar. A few days after their arrival, in the midst of all the unpacking, he discovered why he thought the place was familiar. After unpacking some of his mother's old pictures, he recognized it as the same house that he had seen in a picture of his mother as a teenager! Nodoka later confirmed that it was his grandparents home, though no one had lived there for almost fifteen years. This long hiatus had not made the place any worse for wear but a good two days were spent by Ranma, Genma, and Ten-ten to clean the place. No doubt the house elf's magic came in handy and saved extra days of work.

Though he knew it had to happen, Ranma was disappointed that, within a week of their arrival, Nodoka became so busy with her duties as the incoming Ambassador that he only saw her late in the evenings. His father did not let the free time go to waste, however. After ensuring that the same magical charms from their other house had been applied to this house, Genma resumed Ranma's martial arts training with renewed vigor, though making sure to keep it to only a few hours each morning. In the evenings he continued Ranma's English lessons in Nodoka's place. The rest of the time he and Ranma would venture out into London and explore, though they often had to fight the urge to hop onto the rooftops to quickly traverse the city, as they were wont to do. "We're not in Japan or China, where people wouldn't be surprised by that sort of thing." Genma reminded his son.

Time flew by so quickly that, one Friday, two weeks into July, Ranma was startled to realize that the second week of July had come to a close. It was more surprising to see his mother not rushing about to get to the office. In fact, she was enjoying a leisurely breakfast and trying, with the usual lack of success, to get Ten-ten to sit at the table and join her. "Well, I was wondering when you'd get down to breakfast." she said cheerfully. "And where's your father?"

"Uh, I think he went to get changed." said Ranma, knowing full well that his father was probably out in the yard sulking over yet another "secret technique" that Ranma had already mastered. "Shouldn't you be off to work?"

"Oh, I thought I'd go in a bit later today, seeing as how I've been so busy lately." she said nonchalantly, though Ranma noticed that she was avoiding his eyes.

"Oh, okay." he said, deciding to wait and see the real reason she was taking her time. He sat down and helped himself to toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, and porridge, breakfast items which he was gradually accepting as "normal", though he thought it would have been nice to have a more traditional Japanese breakfast on occasion. Realizing that it would be hard to come by Japanese food unless he got it at home or cooked it himself, Ranma had eaten a lot of food that his mother assured him was common British fare to prepare himself for his months at Hogwarts.

Ranma was halfway through his food when Genma finally entered the kitchen. Knowing that his food was in imminent danger, Ranma immediately shifted to Saotome Speed Eating(TM) mode and polished off the rest of his breakfast in a lightning fast and noisy manner. Nodoka frowned disapprovingly but did not say anything, knowing that it would be futile to argue against the eating habits of her son and husband, who used every meal as yet-another training exercise. "Save some for me, boy." Genma growled.

"You gotta get in here earlier, old man!" said Ranma cheerfully. As Genma sat down at the table, the sound of a bell ringing filled the house, signaling the arrival of Ryouko with the post. When Ten-ten appeared, however, she was not carrying Ryouko but a normal brown owl. He looked interestedly as his mother took a thick roll of parchment from the bird's outstretched leg.

"Ah, I believe that this is for you." Nodoka said, handing the parchment, unopened, to Ranma. He could not imagine anyone who would be writing him, much less anyone who would send something through owl post. He looked to his mother questioningly and she nodded with a smile. "Go ahead, open it."

He slit the parchment's seal and unrolled the letter. It read:

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**

**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

**(_Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, _**

**_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards_)**

**Dear Mr. Saotome,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**

**Yours sincerely,**

**Minerva McgGonagall,**

**_Deputy Headmistress_**

He had known, since moving to London, that he would have a place at Hogwarts, but that did not make receiving the letter any less exciting. "Mom...it's my invitation to Hogwarts!" he said, handing it over to her with an uncharacteristically trembling hand.

"Well, I see they haven't changed the wording one bit. Same letter I got." she said with a grin as she handed it back to him. "I expect we'll need to make a trip to Diagon Alley soon. It usually gets so crowded towards the end of August."

"Diagonally?" Ranma asked, looking confused. "Like the direction?"

"It does sound like that, doesn't it? It's _Diagon Alley_." she replied, emphasizing the two words. "And it's the largest collection of wizard shops in Britain. It's right in the middle of London. It's been there for ages, as long as London has been here, I think."

"Sounds like Pai Yar Square in Kyoto." grunted Genma, who had surfaced for air momentarily before diving back into his breakfast. "Probably full of cheap foreign stuff, I bet."

"And, _of course_, you'd be the _authority_ on that, being a wizard." Nodoka replied, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I think you ought to send your reply straightaway, no sense in putting it off."

She magicked a quill, ink, and parchment onto the table. He thought a second, then wrote, in somewhat uneven cursive:

**Dear Professor McGonagall,**

**I accept the invitation to Hogwarts and I will try my best this coming term.**

**Sincerely,**

**Ranma Saotome**

On the following Saturday Ranma and Nodoka headed out to do Ranma's school shopping. "We'll stop off at the Leaky Cauldron first. That's the pub that hides the entrance to Diagon Alley." she said, answering his unspoken question. After a quick trip through the Floo, they stepped out of the fireplace and into a rather dark and shabby looking pub. Nodoka looked around the place fondly as the buzz of conversation stopped at their arrival.

"Well I'll be...Nodoka Saotome, it has been too long." said the bartender. The other customers seemed to recognize Nodoka's name and whispered to each other.

"Tom, it really has been. You're looking well." she replied as she approached the bar, Ranma in her tow. "The place has changed a bit."

"Oh no, the pub never changes, just the people." he chuckled. "I saw that you're Ambassador now, congratulations. And who is this, your son?"

"Oh yes, Tom, this is my son Ranma. He's starting Hogwarts this fall. Ranma, this is Tom. He's run the Leaky Cauldron since...well, since I was your age at least."

"Pleased to meet you." Tom said, giving Ranma a surprisingly strong handshake for an old man. "Join me for drink, Nodoka dear? We can catch up on old times."

"Perhaps later, Tom. Ranma and I have his school list to get."

"Of course, of course." said Tom, smiling. "Another time then."

Nodoka waved goodbye to Tom, then led Ranma out of the bar into a small, walled courtyard that was empty save for a few weeds and a trash bin. "Now let's see if I remember..." she counted the bricks above the trashcan, "Three up, two across, and tap with your wand." She said, tapping the brick. The brick quivered and wiggled as a hole grew from a pinpoint in it's center. Soon the whole had expanded into an archway that was easily sixteen feet tall.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley ." Nodoka said to her son, who was looking through the archway with awe. They stepped through the archway into the bright sunlight that bathed the cobblestoned street that stretched before them. Ranma nearly wrenched his neck trying to take in all of the sights. There was a stack of cauldrons, some gold and silver, glittering in the sun outside of one of the first shops. People, all dressed in brightly colored wizard robes , bustled about, entering and exiting the shops lining the street. They passed an Apothecary, which was having a sale on dragon livers at seventeen sickles an ounce. "Oh, that is ridiculous. And I thought the prices were bad in Japan." said his mother.

They walked on, passing a shop called Eeylops Owl Emporium, which was loud with the hooting of countless owls. Further down was Quality Quidditch Supplies, whose window display, a Nimbus 2000 racing broom, was drawing a crowd of boys. They passed more shops, which were selling everything from robes to telescopes to spell books; from potion bottles to parchment to wartcap powder. Nodoka did not say anything, letting Ranma absorb the experience. "This place is great!" he said finally, rubbing his neck after all of the craning it had done.

They had stopped in front of a snowy white building that towered over the other smaller shops. "I'm glad you like it. It hardly seems to have changed." she said fondly.

"What's this place?" Ranma asked, pointing to the white building.

"Ah, this is Gringotts, the Wizard's bank. It's owned and operated by goblins. It's a worldwide bank with branches in every country. The one in Japan is in Pai Yar Square."

"So we're going in?"

"Not today, though it's usually worth the trip through the vaults. No, I already retrieved enough gold for your things." she replied. "Now then, you need to get fitted for robes, so I'll go get your potion ingredients." She pointed him towards a robe shop, Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, handed him a small, purple velvet bag that jingled with coins, and headed back up the street towards an apothecary.

Ranma entered the shop feeling slightly nervous. A squat, smiling witch dressed in peach colored robes greeted him. "Hello dear, here for Hogwarts uniforms?" she asked pleasantly. He nodded. "Got the lot here. There are a couple people in the back, just follow me. In the back of the shop, standing on footstools, were a black boy with dreadlocks who seemed to be slightly older than Ranma, and a girl with very bushy brown hair and very prominent front teeth. The girl seemed to have just been talking very excitedly while the boy seemed somewhat relieved by Ranma and Madame Malkin's arrival. Ranma smiled and nodded at them both.

"Up you get." said Madame Malkin after floating a footstool for Ranma to stand on. He got up on the stool and she slipped a robe over his head and began to pin it to the right length.

"Are you a first year?" asked the girl.

"Yes." replied Ranma.

"So am I. I was so hoping to meet someone else in my year. My name's Hermione Granger, what's yours?"

"Ranma Saotome."

"Well, that's a strange name, but Hermione isn't very common either, is it? By the way, this is Lee Jordan, he's a third year." she said, sounding almost envious. Lee nodded, then rolled his eyes when she turned back to Ranma. Ranma covered his laugh with a cough. "This is all very interesting, isn't it? I didn't even know I was a witch until last week when I got the letter. Nobody in my family is magic at all! I hear Hogwarts is the best school of witchcraft there is. can't wait to get my books and my wand, and I'll need to spend the rest of the summer learning the course books off by heart. I hope that'll be enough. I was just asking Lee about the coursework, actually, so I can be prepared."

Ranma did not know what to say to all that, partly because she had spoken so quickly that it took him a moment to work what she had said, but he did find it impressive that she could say so much without taking a breath. "So what about you? Are your parents wizards?" she asked.

"No, just my mum. My dad's a Muggle." he replied.

"It must've been really interesting growing up in the wizarding world. By the way, that's a really interesting accent. Where are you from, China?"

"No, we're from Japan." said Ranma with a slight bit of indignation at the insinuation, which Hermione did not notice.

"Really? Are wizards there really different from wizards here? Do they say spells in Japanese? Why didn't you go to school in Japan?"

"Hermione, can't you give the bloke a chance to answer one question?" said Lee, exasperated. "You're talking so fast that even I can barely understand you!"

"It's okay Lee." Ranma said, though he was grateful for the chance to process Hermione's questions. "I really don't know about wizards in Japan. I didn't even know they existed until this last May, when I found out my mum was a witch."

"How could you not-" she started, but he cut her off.

"I was traveling with my dad around the world for seven years and didn't really come back home until May. He never told me about my mum being a witch." said Ranma. "And I'm going to Hogwarts instead of the Magic Academy of Japan because my mum went to Hogwarts and she wanted me to go too."

The witch that was fitting Lee tapped him on the shoulder to tell him she was finished. "Well, I'm done, so I'll see you two on September first. Oh, and this is just between me and you, there's a test you take to get in to Hogwarts. It's, well, a bit unpleasant, but you two look tough, so I'm sure the pain won't be too unbearable. Later!" He waved goodbye to them and walked back to the front of the store with a mischievous grin on his face.

Unbelievably, this quieted Hermione, who looked worried by this bit of news. Ranma, on the other hand, could not imagine any school test being all that painful, at least not as painful as some of the things he had been through. "You think he's telling the truth?" Hermione asked. Ranma shrugged, causing Madame Malkin to prick him.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, but you really must stay still." she said.

"I bet it's a magic test. I'm going to have to study really hard the rest of the summer." Hermione said. Ranma wondered if the girl was channeling the spirit of a Japanese girl, what with all her talk of studying.

"Hermione, if your parents are Muggles, how did you get here?" Ranma asked suddenly.

"We came into Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron." she said. "Tom, the barman, opened the archway for us."

The witch tapped her on the shoulder just as Madame Malkin said to Ranma, "All done dear."

They followed the witches out to the front of the store, where Nodoka and two people whom, from the absolute normality of their attire, Ranma guessed were Hermione's parents. "All done?" she asked Ranma, who nodded. "This is Mr. and Mrs. Granger, Ranma. And this must be Hermione." She shook hands with Hermione. "I met your parents in the apothecary. I was just telling them about my first time in Diagon Alley. It's all very overwhelming, coming from a Muggle family."

"Your parents were Muggles too?"

"Oh yes, the letter and visit from Professor McGonnagal were quite a surprise, more for my parents than for me. But they, like your parents, were open-minded, which I think makes us two very lucky daughters." Nodoka said, smiling. "Well, we have more shopping to do and I wouldn't dream of holding you all up on your errands." She shook hands with the Grangers again. Mr. Granger payed Madame Malkin, who had just come back with Hermione's package.

"I'll see you on the train then, Ranma." Hermione said, waving goodbye.

"Yeah, see you then." he replied as the Grangers walked back out into Diagon Alley, looking extremely out of place. "They sure were...normal." he said to Nodoka.

"Yes. They're both dentists, as normal as a Muggle can be, and with a witch for a daughter! By the way, what did you think of Miss Hermione?"

"Uh..." he said, thinking back over their conversation. "Well, she talks really fast and seems to be really excited about studying. She was nice enough, though."

"Well, at least you'll know one person on the train. That's one more than I knew on my first trip to Hogwarts."

Ranma payed Madame Malkin and thanked her, then led the way back out into the street. "We're making excellent time. Now, to get your books." said his mother cheerfully behind him. They went into a bookstore, Flourish and Blotts, which sold books of all sizes and shapes with titles like "Secret Wand Techniques: Improve Your Spell Casting With Tips from Leading Wizards" and "Potion Making for Dummies". Nodoka bought him his set books and a couple extra potions books that she assured him would be a good deal more informative than the one on the list, "Magical Draughts and Potions".

"Not that it's a bad book, of course, but it's not as thorough as I'd like for first years." she said, frowning over the supply list. "Well, I have scales, phials, and a cauldron at home, and you can use my old telescope. All that's left is your wand and a pet, if you want one. To Ollivanders, then, it's the _only_ place to get a good wand."

Ollivander's, it turned out, was a narrow and shabby-looking wand shop. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. In the window display was single wand on an old and faded purple velvet cushion.

A bell tinkled as they stepped into the small shop, which was filled to the ceiling with thousands of narrow boxes. Nodoka sat down in a spindly chair while Ranma looked around the shop warily, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. Something about the place that he could not identify put him on edge. He felt as if there were a hundred people hiding in the room, all silent as ghosts and attempting to conceal their ki.

"Good afternoon." a voice said softly. Ranma turned to see an old man with wide, pale eyes.

"Uh, hi." said Ranma, feeling relieved that he had been able to faintly detect the man's approach. "We're here for a wand."

"Of course, of course." the man said, glancing over at Nodoka and smiling with recognition. "Nodoka Saotome! What a pleasure to see you again!" He took her hand and kissed it. "Yew, eleven and a quarter inches, somewhat stiff, if I recall."

"Your memory is as remarkable as ever, Mr. Ollivander." Nodoka replied, beaming. "How have things been?"

"The wand business is steady as always, my dear." he replied. "And this is your son..."

"Ranma." said Ranma.

"Of course, and starting at Hogwarts this year? Well now let's see..." Mr. Ollivander pulled out a long tape measure with silver markings on it. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Right, I guess." Ranma shrugged.

"Hold out your arm." He then proceeded to measure Ranma from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and around his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. Of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." From the way he seemed to recite these words, Ranma had a feeling that he said the same thing to every customer.

"That will do." said the man and, as the tape measure fell into a heap on the floor, Ranma realized that Mr. Ollivander was rummaging through the boxes; the tape measure had apparently been taking measurements on its own. He brought down a stack of boxes, set them down, and pulled one out, handing it to Ranma. "Ash and unicorn hair, ten and five-eighths inches, bendy. Give it a little wave."

Ranma did so but Mr. Ollivander took it from him almost immediately and handed him another wand. "Ebony and dragon heartstring, twelve inches, a little stiff."

While the other wand felt like an ordinary piece of wood, this one felt strangely warm and tingly in his hand. He flicked his wrist, sending a jet of red sparks into the gloomy room. "Very good! Got it in two, excellent!" He returned the wand to its box and wrapped it up. "Now, would you like anything else? A wand care kit, perhaps?" Ranma nodded and paid for the wand and the kit. They exited the shop, Nodoka promising to stop by again as they left. After the dusty gloom of the wand shop, the sun seemed blindingly bright.

"Well, that's all of the essentials." said Nodoka. "Shall we go to see about an animal?"

"Sure." he replied, though he could not think of any pet he might want, never having had one before. They walked back up the street and turned into a shop that looked very similar to Muggle pet shops. Nodoka walked in with Ranma close behind but, when she turned around, after hearing a half dozen cats purring and meowing, she was surprised to see that her son was frozen in the doorway, looking pale and terrified, with six cats circling and rubbing his legs.

"Ranma, what's wrong?" she said quickly as she moved towards him. As the cats continued to rub on him, his eyes grew wider and more fearful. " Ranma, what's wrong? Say something!>"

" N-n-n-n->" Ranma stuttered, " -n-n-ne-ko!>"

"May I help you, Madame?" asked the witch, who had just come from out of the back. Nodoka ignored her.

"Cats? What about-" Suddenly, it dawned on her what her son was trying to say; he was afraid of cats.

"Oh no, those aren't cats, they're kneazles." said the witch.

"_Thank you very much!_" Nodoka said impatiently before ignoring the woman once again. "Ranma, they're not going to hurt you..." she said gently.

But Ranma did not seem to hear her. His agitation was growing and he was beginning to act strangely. His fingers were curling up like claws and a warning growl, like a cat on the verge of striking, rumbled deep within his chest. The sound made her skin prickle. "Okay Ranma, we're leaving." She shooed the kneazles, nearly kicking a bandy-legged ginger one, grabbed Ranma by the arm, and dragged him out of the shop, an action that was made more difficult because he was as stiff as a board.

It was another five minutes before the look of terror eased from Ranma's face. They were back in the Leaky Cauldron, where Nodoka had ordered a cup of hot tea with a couple splashes of firewhiskey for Ranma. His hand was shaking so badly that she had to hold the cup up for him to drink. Gradually the drink had its effect; the color returned to Ranma's cheeks and his shaking subsided. Nodoka sighed with relief.

"Are you alright, Ranma?" she asked, concern etched on her face. He nodded slowly. "What happened back there? I've known people to be afraid of cats, but never like that. It was like you were afraid for your life."

"I've been like this for five years. Ever since Pops tried to teach me the Neko-ken." Ranma said darkly.

"Cat's Fist?"

"Yeah. It's supposed to be some kinda invincible technique. Pops got a manual for it somewhere and he tried to teach me."

"Okay, but what's training got to do with-"

"He wrapped me in fish sausages and threw me into a pit of starving cats." said Ranma, his voice trembling slightly. Nodoka looked shocked. Ranma smiled, but the expression seemed more like a grimace. "It wasn't so bad the first time but, see, I didn't learn the technique, so...he...he kept wrapping me in fish sausages and throwing me back in until I learned the technique."

Ranma looked away from Nodoka, not wanting to see the look of mingled pity and horror on her face and fighting tears. He blinked rapidly, trying to keep the moisture in his eyes. He swallowed hard before continuing. "I heard that I acted like a cat for a couple days before snapping out of it. He didn't finish reading the manual before trying it on me, or else he would've seen the warning about how the training makes you crazy." he said bitterly as he wiped his eyes. "I've learned to live with it. As long as I stay away from cats, I'm okay."

Nodoka's mind was reeling as she imagined her son, six years old, huddled fearfully in a dark pit while starving cats tore into him. He probably screamed for help that never came, probably thought the worst was over when Genma had lifted him from the pit, only to be thrown back again and again. It made sense that Ranma acted as he had in the pet shop; he had serious mental scarring. "I don't believe your father..." she hissed, outraged. She jumped to her feet suddenly and pulled Ranma to his feet. "Well, we shall have to find ways for you to deal with cats, as I'm afraid they're quite prevalent in the wizarding world. In the meantime," her eyes flashed menacingly and her voice became harder than steel, "I am going to have a word with your father about this."

She swept him away towards the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace, giving a rather brusque goodbye to Tom. As the Floo spun them quickly toward 13 Brandywine Court, Ranma could not help but feel a little sorry for his unsuspecting father, who would soon be facing the wrath of a very angry, very powerful witch.

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 4: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-quarters**

Author's Notes:

Two chapter updates in two days, it must be a miracle! People seem to enjoy Chapter 2 well enough and I hope that continues. Thanks to the reviewers, especially the signed ones; I'll try to take your ideas and suggestions to heart, in so far as they don't conflict with the story I have in mind (many elements of which I've already mapped out up to the 5th book).

Finally, I'm pretty sure I've written things pretty clearly but if, for some reason, there's a point that needs clarification or there's a question, please put it in your comment and, if I can answer it without giving too much away, I'll answer it down here. To that end, Shakeval, I hate to disappoint you, but there will be no Draco beat downs. Besides the general unfairness of that matchup that I'd find hard to write, I also think Draco's too smart to provoke a real fight and that Ranma's too confident (or arrogant) about his skill to waste his time on such a fight. Also, it'd really suck to have Ranma expelled for beating the hell out of Draco. Don't worry, Ranma will have plenty of other opportunities to put his skills to good use, and that's all I'll say about that.

Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section.


	4. The Journey from Platform 9 ¾

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: "+" denotes Genma-panda's sign language. Please note that this chapter contains excerpts from and is inspired by Chapter 6 of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits). If you're keeping score, it also has the same title as that chapter.

**Chapter 4: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-quarters**

"Ranma, are you finished packing your trunk?" Nodoka called up from the first floor. "We'll be leaving in ten minutes."

"I'll be down in a minute!" Ranma called back as he placed the last of his books into the large, neatly packed trunk. His room would be relatively bare while he was gone since, having lived on the road for seven years, he had very few possessions, all of which were in the trunk. His mother had been sure to take him shopping for more appropriate clothing, since winters at Hogwarts were, in her own words, "a bit chilly". He had suddenly found himself the owner of an actual wardrobe, complete with jeans, sweaters, shirts, underwear, and boots. Though he found the clothing to be generally heavy and course compared to his usual loose black pants and Chinese style silk shirt, he dared not voice his opinion, not with his mother in such a bad bad temper. Ranma did not think she would intentionally be angry with him but, as he had learned many times on the road, it was not wise to tickle a sleeping dragon.

The weeks since their trip to Diagon Alley and Nodoka's discovery of Ranma's ailurophobia had been very tense, so much so that Ranma had another reason to anticipate leaving for Hogwarts. Surprisingly, especially considering her reaction to Ranma's curse, she never attempted to physically harm Genma, magically or otherwise. She had, however, slipped him a truth potion at dinner that night and wheedled a total confession from him that revealed even more of the event than Ranma had learned from years of listening to his old man's drunken ramblings. He had never known that Genma had fallen asleep between "training exercises" or that Genma now sported five long scars on his chest, a gift from the feral Ranma. In retrospect, Ranma realized that, had he not already taken his anger out on his father years ago, he might have seriously hurt him then. It was all, however, in the past, a place he wanted it to stay. Nodoka, however, was not so forgiving.

Genma rediscovered the true torture of angering his wife the next day. To his horror, water that was warm enough to deactivate his curse felt so unbearably hot that he was sure the one drop that had touched his head would melt a hole through his body. Every bottle of sake in the house taunted him by appearing filled to the brim but magically becoming empty whenever he raised them to his mouth. Regardless of how much food he put on his plate, there would only be a cup of actual food on it when he raised his utensils to eat. He spent restless nights on the floor of the study (Nodoka had kicked him out of their bedroom), plagued by dreams of his worst fears. To top it all off, nothing ever seemed to go right for him, as if he were surrounded by an aura of bad luck. Now, six weeks later, his father looked diminished, his fur dull and matted, his eyes always half-closed and bloodshot.

After a week of watching his father endure this, Ranma tried talking to his father, hoping that the man would apologize to Nodoka and end their quarrel.

"Mum's really mad, Pops." he said. "It looks like you need to use good ol' Saotome Desperation Strike Number 3." Genma did not seem to take kindly to the advice.

"+ It's all your fault, boy. +" Genma-panda's sign read.

"_My _fault? How is it my fault you threw me in that pit?" Ranma retorted angrily.

"+ Stop being such a baby! I was trying to make you stronger, but you were too busy acting like a frightened child. +"

"I _was _ a frightened child, you idiot!" Ranma said, his blood boiling. "You got some nerve, old man, but I should've known you'd try to make me take the blame for your problems."

"+ All you had to do was keep your mouth shut about it. +"

"I didn't say anything until after I was mobbed by cats! I guess it's my fault the cats jumped me too?" Ranma sneered.

"+ You were in a pet store for God's sake, what'd you think would happen+" Genma shook the sign angrily before flipping it around. "+ And why didn't you lie about it+"

Ranma punched the sign so hard that it shattered into toothpick sized splinters. Genma backed away warily. "Mum's not mad at me for having this fear, she's mad at _you_ for doing something stupid! Why should I have to keep to lying for you every time you muck something up?" he said, shaking. "I'm not lying to my own mother for you. You lie to her yourself. I'm through lying for you."

Genma's paw twitched as if he wanted to hit his son, but he resisted. His eyes, however, narrowed dangerously. "+ You sound like a little girl. +" Genma seemed to delight in this stinging jab at his son. "+ After all I've done for you, and you treat me with this disrespect+"

"I guess you hadn't noticed, _Father_," said Ranma as he turned and walked out the room, his voice as cold as ice, "but I lost respect for you a long time ago."

The rest of the summer, Ranma and Genma hardly acknowledged one another's presence. Though Nodoka tried to mend the fence, neither of the Saotome males would discuss the subject. She chided herself for setting a bad example to Ranma in her anger at her husband but, seeing no way to resolve the situation, she left them both to sort it out for themselves.

With his mother at work most of the day and his relationship with his father too strained to think of any kind of training, Ranma was forced to entertain himself, a task which turned out to be easier than he first imagined. Though he was not allowed to perform any magic outside of school (Nodoka had warned him about this when they had returned from Diagon Alley), Ranma spent the hours between lunch and dinner reading his school books, particularly the three potions books, _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_, and _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_, all of which seemed to offer the most practical instruction. It was all very interesting and, though he realized he was actually studying, he did not really consider it to be work since no one was forcing him to do it. He made sure, however, to take some notes, which he hoped would come in useful eventually. Using the spell books as a guide and a twig that was approximately the same length as his wand, Ranma practiced wand movements and found that his martial arts training made memorizing and performing them very easy. Likewise, he could not brew the potions in his books without his mother, so he spent the time getting acquainted with potion ingredients and reactions. Here, again, he seemed to have an inherent grasp of the subject; it all seemed to make sense, despite the complexity the subject presented on its surface.

When Nodoka was available, usually on the weekends, they would continue talking about school or his books, or she would take him around London and to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. Everywhere they went, even in the least magical place possible, they managed to meet wizards and witches who knew his mother from work or school. Thanks to his mother, Ranma managed to enjoy his last few weeks of summer, despite the tensions at home.

Ranma closed and locked his trunk, looked around his room one last time, then lifted the trunk over his head with little effort and walked downstairs. "I guess I won't need the driver to come in and get the trunk then." Nodoka remarked. She looked as excited as he felt, though he was doing a good job of containing it.

Ranma set the trunk down, looked past her to the front door, then quickly focused on her again. "Mom, _what _are you wearing?"

"What? Do you think it's a bit too much?" she asked, her cheeks flushing. Gone were the wizard robes she usually wore. Instead, she wore a knee-length, ivory polyester skirt with a matching polyester blazer. Underneath was a low-cut, red silk shirt that matched her hair and an ivory ascot was tied around her neck. A pair of ivory boots completed the ensemble. She looked, to Ranma, like she had stepped right out of the seventies.

"No, it's just...that's like fifteen years out of style." he replied, trying to contain himself.

"Yes, well it was in style the last time I needed to wear Muggle clothing." she said rather stiffly. "Anyway, I'm only dressed this way because wearing wizard robes would be even more strange at King's Cross."

Ranma forced himself to not laugh. "Where's Ten-ten?" asked Ranma as he set the trunk down.

"Well, I thought it might be a bit dangerous for her to be in the foyer since we're taking a Muggle taxi."

"Why are we taking a taxi anyway?" Ranma asked. He imagined that, with their modes of travel, taxis would be fairly useless for most wizards.

"Well, there's no magical way to get into King's Cross." she replied. "It's a Muggle train station. And it wouldn't do if wizards just appeared out of thin air, would it?"

"Makes sense, I guess. So are there lots of wizard trains out of there?" he asked.

"Oh no, just this one." said Nodoka as she checked her watch.

"But...isn't Hogwarts far away?"

"Yes, somewhere up in Scotland."

"But we're taking a train there..."

"That's right." she replied absently, peering through the window.

Ranma found this response very odd. It seemed to him that if wizards had several faster and more convenient modes of travel, they would employ them here. Nodoka seemed to read his mind. "I rather think they train is more for the convenience of Muggle-born students and to encourage socialization among the students."

A loud -crack!- announced the arrival of Ten-ten. Ranma jumped, having expected the arrival of the house elf soon after he mentioned her name, as was her habit. "Is Ranma-sama wanting something?" asked the elf hopefully.

"Uh, not really. I was just going to say goodbye since I won't see you until December."

"Oh, you is too kind, Ranma-sama." she said, bowing. "Ten-ten wishes Ranma-sama a good term."

"Thanks." he said, grinning. The doorbell rang and Ten-ten promptly disappeared.

"That will be the driver. We'd better hurry, the drive to the station isn't short and we only have an hour before the train leaves." she looked beyond Ranma, as if expecting to see someone. "I would have thought your father would see his only son off to school, seeing as you won't be back until Christmas."

Ranma's face darkened. "He can do whatever he wants, I don't care." he said coldly as he shouldered the trunk. Though he pointedly avoided his mother's face, he was sure she had a disapproving look on it.

Ranma casually carried the trunk overhead to the cab and stowed it into the trunk. The weight made the rear of the vehicle sag, prompting an incredulous stare from the driver, which Ranma ignored. He got into the car and gave the house one last look before the driver got them moving.

The drive across London was uneventful, though Nodoka did take that time to go over the cat defenses that she had discovered and given to Ranma. There was a small silver locket where a large pinch of catsbane was hidden behind a picture of his mother; the herb apparently emitted an extremely strong and nauseating odor that would drive cats and kneazles away, though it was odorless to humans. He had a large stay-fresh tin of the herb secured in his trunk. Nodoka had also found a pair of earmuffs for Ranma to wear to bed. They chanted soothingly and were supposed be able to break down his fear of cats while he slept. Finally, for worst case scenarios, Ranma had a supply of calming lozenges, a solid form of a potion she called the Draught of Peace, which would erase his fears temporarily, even if he were up to his eyeballs in cats.

They arrived at King's Cross station with ten minutes to spare. Ranma loaded his trunk onto a trolley while Nodoka paid the man with a little difficulty. "Goodness, you would think I was raised a witch. It's been so long since I've handled muggle money." she said, sounding embarrassed. The station was crowded and, every now and then, Ranma could see someone rolling a trolley with a trunk. King's Cross was bustling with activity as travelers made their ways to the platforms.

"Here we are." said Nodoka, stopping Ranma at platform nine. They were standing behind several other people with trunks on trolleys, facing the barrier between platform nine and platform ten. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Ranma was sure he could see a very faint, hazy outline shaped like an archway on the wall.

"Mum, is that...is that wall the entrance to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters?" he asked as one of the people pushed his trolley towards the wall.

"Yes, did I forget to tell you that?" she said. "It's an illusion to keep the Muggles out. It's really just an-"

"Arch." he finished, verifying with his own eyes that the wall was fake when he saw someone disappear through it.

"Yes, but how did you - oh, it looks like our turn. All you have to do is walk through the wall, but you mustn't doubt that you will pass through it, that's very important. You must believe that the wall is just an illusion."

Ranma nodded at her, then pushed the trolley forward and walked with her through the barrier and onto the secret platform. As he passed through, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle with warning, a sensation he was beginning to associate with the presence of high magical energy. Ranma opened his eyes onto a scene quite as bustling as the one he had left on the other side of the wall. A scarlet steam engine sat next to the platform, smoke puffing gently from its smokestack. Overhead, a sign read _Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock_. Ranma turned back to look at the wall, but instead saw a wrought-iron archway with the words _Platform Nine and Three-Quarters_ on it.

"Ranma, eat this, quickly." his mother said, handing him one of the calming lozenges. He swallowed it immediately, his heart thumping madly because he knew that, if he was taking a lozenge, a cat must surely be nearby. "Did you see a cat?" he asked, not quite disguising the fear in his voice.

"Yes, dear, there are many here now, brought as pets by your fellow students. However," and she sounded very self-satisfied, "they don't seem inclined to come say hello to you, do they?" She was right, of course. Here and there, Ranma could see a bushy tail or a yellow eye, but the cats all seemed to be moving away from him. Perhaps it was the lozenge, but knowing that he had some defenses against the cats that were working superbly made him very happy.

Ranma led the way down the platform with Nodoka following close behind. The front of the train seemed to be filled already while more students climbed onto the train after saying goodbye to their parents. They had nearly walked to the end of the train when Ranma heard a familiar voice calling from just behind them. "Ranma? Ranma Saotome!" Hermione Granger called out. He turned and saw her beckoning from a compartment they had just passed.

"I saved you a seat in case we saw each other before the train left." she said, opening the door.

"Thanks." he said cheerfully and carried his trunk into the compartment, stowing it in the overhead bin. He waved in greeting to a brown-haired boy who was already in the compartment before going back out.

"Hello again, Hermione." Nodoka said pleasantly, holding out her hand, which Hermione shook excitedly.

"Hi Mrs. Saotome. Or should I call you Ambassador Saotome?" she asked, looking pleased with herself.

"Mrs. Saotome, please." replied Nodoka. "And you are unusually well informed, especially for a Muggle-born first year."

"Ranma never mentioned what you did and...well, I was curious what job a witch would have..." Hermione said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Well, I think that sort of curiosity will serve you very well at Hogwarts." Nodoka said approvingly. "And your parents..."

"They've already gone. I told them I'd be all right. They can be a little clingy, and it's not like I'm leaving the country, is it?"

"Not at all." Nodoka replied, smiling. A whistle sounded and, for the first time, Ranma felt a slight sense of longing. He had only just been reunited with his mother a few months prior and now he was leaving her again. He had not even left the station but he already missed her. Nodoka looked at him with the same look he knew was on his face, but she also looked proud. "Looks like you all are about to leave. Don't forget your remedies, and be sure to look at those potions books if you need extra help." She hugged him tightly, then kissed him on the forehead. "Have fun this term, try your best, and don't get into too much trouble." she said, winking at him.

"Okay, Mum." he said, smiling. He stepped back into the compartment and closed the door, then leaned out the window as the train began to move.

"Write me! I want to hear all about your first day!" Nodoka called out to him, waving. He nodded and waved at her until the train rounded a corner and she disappeared from sight.

Ranma closed the window and sat down, noticing that there were now several more people in the compartment. Besides the boy, there was a pink-faced blonde girl and two girls, identical twins with long, dark hair worn in a long plait and dusky complexions that reminded Ranma of the people of India. "Uh, hi." Ranma said, his face very warm with all of the stares from everyone.

"Ranma, now that everyone's back, let me introduce you. This is Hannah Abbot, " said Hermione, pointing to the blonde girl, who smiled shyly at him, "Parvati and Padma Patil," she pointed at the Indian girls, "and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Everyone, this is Ranma Saotome. He's from Japan." The four of them greeted him timidly and Justin shook Ranma's hand rather limply. Hermione looked at them all excitedly, seemingly oblivious to everyone's nervousness. "This is all very exciting, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah, going to school is _really_ exciting." said Parvati.

"It's not just school, it's _magic _school. That's exciting, right?"

"It's not very impressive magic, not until sixth or seventh year." said Padma.

"Still, it's magic. That's exciting for us." she pointed at Justin and Ranma. "We didn't grow up in the wizarding world, you know."

"You're all Muggle-born?" asked Hannah.

"Well, except for Ranma; his mother's a witch."

"She was living as a Muggle and never told you?" Padma asked Ranma.

"No, he was-" said Hermione, but Ranma cut her off.

"I was traveling with my father and he never told me about her being a witch." he said. "We were gone for seven years and I didn't see or talk to her the whole time. My father said she would distract me from training."

"Training for what?" asked Justin.

"Life, I guess. My dad had this big dream of me being some big time martial artist, so he took me around the world to train with and fight the best."

"So do you know karate?" said Justin sounding very interested.

"Yeah." Ranma replied, thinking briefly of what he called the 'Karate Wars', a five month period several years prior during which he had single-handedly defeated the master of every major karate dojo in Japan. They'd had to leave the country for a year after that because Genma had stupidly put a ransom on the dojo signs Ranma had won.

"Are you any good?"

"Of course, I'm the best there is." said Ranma without hesitation or modesty.

"Oh. Well, I have my brown belt. I've been in karate a few years." said Justin with no small amount of pride. "Maybe we can spar sometime, Ranma."

"Only a brown belt? That wouldn't be very fair, even if I took it easy." said Ranma brashly. "I'm sure you might be good at the place you learned but, from the looks of your hands, they probably didn't let you fight full contact. It just wouldn't be fair and I'd probably hurt you."

Justin flushed considerably. His voice took on a defensive and challenging note. "If you're so good, what's _your_ rank?"

"In karate? I don't have a rank." Justin had a gloating look on his face at the response. "I never bothered taking the tests. I don't need belts to prove my skill. Beating the master of a dojo works better." he said, smirking at Justin's incredulous look.

"Err, excuse me, but what's karate?" asked Padma.

"It's a martial art, like in the movies." Justin said. The girls looked at him blankly. "You know, fighting."

"Oh, you mean like dueling?" asked Hannah, sounding impressed.

"Something like that but without wands." said Hermione, seeming intent on steering the conversation back to magic. "Anyway, did your parents tell you about Hogwarts? What's it like? I read all about it in 'Hogwarts: A History'. It sounds excellent, the best magic school in the world, I hear. Do any of you know which house you'll be in?"

Ranma was, again, impressed at how quickly Hermione could talk and he could see that she did not just amaze him. It took a moment to process what she had said, and this time only Justin seemed confused by the question. Thanks to his mother, Ranma knew all about the four Hogwarts houses: Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffindor. She had been in the latter, a fact in which she took great pride.

"What are the four houses?" asked Justin.

Hermione was happy to fill him in. "Well, there's Ravenclaw, it's supposed to have all the smart people. And then Gryffindor, for all the brave people. Hufflepuff has the hard workers. And Slytherin-"

"Has the bad lot!" said Parvati in a scandalized tone.

"That's not what the book says." Hermione said dismissively. Parvati scowled at her.

"It's true though." agreed Hannah. "My mum says that they were a nasty bunch when she was at Hogwarts, and a lot of wizards on You-Know-Who's side were in Slytherin."

This time, Justin was not the only person who was lost. "Who is it we're supposed to know?" asked Ranma, looking amused. His smile faltered, however, when he saw how serious Parvati, Padma, and Hannah were.

"Your mum hasn't said anything about the Dark Lord?" Hannah seemed hesitant to even say the words. Ranma looked from her to Justin, who looked uneasy at the way the girls were acting.

"She never mentioned any 'Dark Lord'. I've never heard of him." said Ranma truthfully.

Hermione, however, seemed to know what they were talking about. "She's talking about Lord Volde-"

"Don't say his name!" the girls hissed in unison, fear in their eyes. The scene was inexplicably eerie to Ranma and he could feel his skin prickle.

"Oh, come off it, you're really not scared of his name, are you?" Hermione said, exasperated. "I thought it was silly enough that the books went on like that, but you guys-"

"No one ever says You-Know-Who's name. You all need to learn that." said Padma matter-of-factly. "My father says he's not really gone and that we shouldn't tempt fate."

"But even if that's true, what's so bad about his name?" asked Hermione stubbornly. "I mean, yes, he did all that horrible stuff, but-"

The compartment door slid open suddenly, revealing a stout, brown-haired boy. He looked uncertainly at them, as if he was not sure whether to come in. "Er, hello there, sorry to bother, but I was looking for a seat, and since your compartment isn't full...well, would you mind if I joined you all?"

"Of course, come on in." Hermione said before anyone else could respond. Looking pleased, the boy pulled his trunk, which was on wheels, into the compartment. Ranma jumped up and helped the boy stow the trunk in the overhead bin.

"My name's Ernie Macmillan." the boy said gregariously. "Its my first time to Hogwarts, what about you all?" Everyone nodded. "Excellent, nothing like getting to know your classmates. I dare say we'll see a lot of each other from now on."

Hermione nodded eagerly in agreement, then proceeded to introduce everyone in the compartment. "So Ernie, how long have you known you were a wizard?" she asked.

"Oh, ages. My whole family's got magic, not even a squib among us!" he said proudly. "Are some of you Muggle-born?"

Hermione nodded. "Justin and I are. Ranma's father is a Muggle."

"Well, nothing wrong with that, it's having magic that counts, after all." Ernie said genially.

"Ernie, why're you just now getting a seat?" asked Padma after they were silent a few minutes. "We've been moving a while now."

"Oh, that. I had a seat but I, uh, didn't like the company." he replied casually, though Ranma thought he could detect a flash of anger in the boy's eyes. "Anyway, have you all heard the rumor going up and down the train?"

Everyone looked blankly at him and Hermione said, "What rumor?"

Ernie seemed very eager to tell them. He looked around conspiratorially, then leaned forward, as if imparting a great secret. Everyone else leaned forward as well. "Well, I heard that **Harry Potter** is on the train!"

"No way!" Hannah said, her eyes wide with shock.

"You're joking." Parvati and Padma said in unison. "_The _Harry Potter?"

"Well, it makes sense, doesn't it?" Hermione said casually, failing to hide the excitement in her voice. "I mean, it's been ten years since he defeated Lord Vol-", there was a collective intake of breath, "I mean, _You-Know-Who_."

Ranma was feeling quite left out of the conversation and, from Justin's looks, he was not alone. "Do you mind telling me and Justin who Harry Potter is?"

"Never heard of him? He's right famous for defeating You-Know-Who, of course, and who wouldn't be? You-Know-Who was about the most powerful dark wizard in ages. My mum says those were really dangerous times and everyone was scared." Ernie said. "One day, You-Know-Who showed up at the Potter's home and killed Harry's mum and dad, but when he tried to kill Harry, the curse rebounded on him!"

"Wow!" Justin said, "So how did Harry do that?"

"No one really knows, do they?" said Hermione. "He was only one year old when You-Know-Who tried to kill him, so he couldn't have done anything on purpose to defend himself. Historians are still trying to figure that out. I mean, the house was destroyed, his parents were dead, and Voldemort's body was destroyed, but he escaped with just a scar-"

"Not just a scar, a lightning-shaped scar, right on his forehead." said Parvati. "They say that's where the curse You-Know-Who tried to use hit him."

Hermione looked rather annoyed at being cut off. "After that, all of You-Know-Who's followers were either put in prison or claimed to be bewitched, and everything was peaceful again." said Hermione. "After that, Harry became known as 'The Boy Who Lived', because if You-Know-Who wanted you dead, you were dead, but Harry was the only person who You-Know-Who tried to kill but still lived."

"You sure know a lot about it." said Ernie, sounding impressed. "Where'd you learn all of that if you're Muggle-born?"

"Oh, well, I picked up some extra books for reference." Hermione said airily, turning slightly pink.

Ranma found himself perched on the edge of his seat, a thousand questions in his head. This "Dark Lord" sounded like a dangerous piece of work, though apparently he was gone. And what had Harry Potter done to defeat him? More important to him was finding out why his mother had never mentioned Harry Potter or the Dark Lord. It was obvious that every wizard in Britain knew of them, but was the history surrounding these two people only of importance to the British? "Hermione, this Dark Lord, was he only here in Britain, or did he go to other countries? I mean, my mother never mentioned him, but maybe his death wasn't that important outside of Britain?" he said.

"No, I think it was pretty big. I read all about it in _Great Wizarding Events of the 20th Century_." she replied. "And I'm not sure if he's really dead. The books I read never said that for sure."

"But he hasn't got a body, right? So nothing to worry about, eh?" Justin said with a nervous laugh. An uncomfortable silence descended over the compartment. Ranma looked around at everyone and saw that they were lost in their own thoughts. He wondered what exactly this Dark Lord had done to cause his very name to be feared. And what was so special about this Harry Potter? He was suddenly filled with the urge to go find Harry Potter and talk to him, to somehow get a measure of the 'The Boy Who Lived'.

Ranma's stomach suddenly gurgled very loudly, cutting through the silence. Hannah, Parvati, and Padma giggled through their hands while Justin and Ernie laughed. "Really, Ranma!" said Hermione disapprovingly.

"Sorry." he replied sheepishly, bowing his head. At that moment, the door to the compartment slid open, revealing a smiling, dimpled woman standing in front of a cart laden with all manner of cakes and sweets. "Anything off the cart?" she asked.

Ranma scrambled to his feet faster than anyone else, pulling his money bag from his front pants pocket. He was not familiar with the items for sale, so he simply bought what looked good: a stack of cauldron cakes, a stack of pumpkin pasties, a pile of chocolate frogs, two bottles of iced pumpkin juice, and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. He pocketed his change and scooped up his purchases, depositing them on his jacket. He sat down and started in on a pumpkin pasty, which disappeared in two bites. "Hungry?" asked Ernie, his eyes wide as a third pasty disappeared into Ranma's mouth.

"Stahw-fwing." Ranma said through a thoroughly stuffed mouth.

"You're going to make yourself sick." scolded Hermione as she watched him wolf down a cauldron cake. Ranma shrugged and continued to demolish his food, completely oblivious to the looks of incredulity from the others. Soon, everyone had bought their snacks and were making small talk as they ate, with the exception of Ranma, whose attention was riveted on his food.

Ranma finished his food and threw his trash into the compartment's bin. Since everyone else was still eating, he rummaged through his trunk and drew out _The Potions Master's Desktop Guide: Common Magical Ingredients and Potions_, one of the extra books his mother had purchased, and sat down to read. Hermione noticed him reading and her eyes flashed with recognition. "I have that book!" she said, hurriedly extracting a copy from her trunk and spilling the remainder of her candy on the floor. "Have you read it all yet?"

"Most of it." Ranma replied, raising his eyebrow at Hermione's excitement.

"I read it a few times. It's a bit more detailed than the set book, don't you think? I can't wait to actually make some potions, it sounds really interesting." she said.

"It is. My mum let me make a few with her before we moved to London." said Ranma.

"Wow, your mum actually let you near the cauldron?" said Parvati, sounding impressed. "She wouldn't let us near hers, not after we ruined her old one!"

"Yeah, my dad said I had to wait until I started school." said Ernie. "He let me use his wand a few times though."

"Ooh, that reminds me," said Hermione, pulling her wand out from her pocket. "We can do magic now, and I've been wanting to try some spells before we get to Hogwarts."

The others followed suit and pulled out their wands. They compared the woods and magical cores of their wands, eventually moving on to the subject of Mr. Olivander and his strange shop and Diagon Alley. Though they had been there on many occasions, even those who had grown up in the wizarding world were enthusiastic about Diagon Alley, and they were happy to discuss their favorite shops. Hermione, meanwhile, rifled through her things, eventually extracting _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_, and began flipping through its pages to find spells.

As it turned out, Hermione was very good at casting spells. While everyone was able to produce light from their wands with the _Lumos_ spell, no one else could successfully perform some of the charms she could. "I practiced the wand movements and incantations all summer." she said proudly as she made a scrap of parchment float half an inch off her palm. Ranma was very impressed but also, deep down, a bit jealous and frustrated because, despite matching her movements and intonation exactly, he could not make the paper so much as shudder. "Well, you do seem to be doing it right. Maybe you're not concentrating hard enough?" she offered, to Ranma's annoyance. Looking around at the others as she critiqued their wandwork, he could see that he was not the only person that was becoming annoyed at what seemed to be Hermione showing off. They put away their books and wands, ignoring Hermione's continued practice as they talked about the upcoming term, while Ranma stubbornly tried to cast the spells that Hermione was practicing.

The compartment door slid opened again, this time revealing a pudgy boy who looked on the verge of tears. "Sorry, but have any of you seen a toad? I've lost mine." he said. Everyone shook their heads and Ranma noticed that Ernie, Parvati, Padma, and Hannah were fighting back sniggers. "He keeps getting away from me!" the boy wailed. He looked so pitiful and upset that Hermione jumped up to comfort him.

"It's all right, just ask a prefect for help." she said soothingly.

"I did." he sniffed. "But they said it's not their responsibility to look after my things."

"Really, that's not very helpful. We'll just see about that." she said, suddenly sounding very bossy. She pulled out her robes from her trunk and began putting them on.

"What're you doing?" asked Ernie bemusedly.

"I'm going to help...uh, what's your name?" she asked the boy.

"Neville Longbottom."

"Right, I'm going to help Neville find his toad." she said, fastening the collar of the robes. "I expect it'll take a while, going through all of the compartments, so I'm putting on my robes."

"I'll go too. Six eyes are better than four, right?" said Ranma suddenly, jumping to his feet and grabbing his robes from his trunk. Secretly, he thought that, in their searching, they would run into Harry Potter and that this would give him a good excuse to meet the boy who defeated You-Know-Who. He hurriedly fastened the collar of his robes, stuffed his spell book into his trunk, and stowed his wand in an inside pocket of his robes. Hermione and Neville walked out ahead of him.

"Good luck, but I don't see why he'd want want to find that toad." Hannah said to him, her cheeks a bit pink. The others nodded and giggled in agreement. "I'd lose it as soon as possible."

Ranma shrugged. "We'll be back in a bit." he said, sliding the door closed.

Hermione and Ranma introduced themselves to Neville as they headed to the front of the train. This seemed to cheer him up considerably. "I haven't really had a chance to meet anyone, since I've been looking for Trevor. That's my toad's name." he said.

The search was long and tedious and not at all fruitful. Many people were annoyed at being disturbed, so they received very brusque answers. Asking people walking the corridor was equally as frustrating, as they were hurrying between compartments and would barely spare an abrupt "No" when asked about the toad. Hermione's rather bossy and abrupt manner did not help either. With all of the open derision and apathy they were facing, Ranma felt his respect for Neville, who had been searching alone before meeting them, grow a bit.

Ranma was beyond tired of searching when he pulled back a compartment door near the rear of the train, inside of which were two boys who, by their looks, were also first year students. One was taller and gangly and had flaming red hair and freckles. The other was shorter, with black hair and green eyes. They were both dressed a bit shabbily and looked thin, though this was more pronounced on the shorter boy, who was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt that looked several sizes too big. They were looking up at Ranma, Hermione, and Neville, the red-haired boy's wand pointing at a rather gray and weathered rat that was sleeping on the seat.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." Hermione said in her usual bossy tone.

"We already told him we hadn't." said the red-haired boy, but Hermione wasn't listening. Instead, Ranma saw her eyes light up when she saw his wand, and he groaned inwardly. The few times they had encountered anyone doing magic on the train she had insisted on watching to "see if it was a good spell." That probably would not have been so bad (or embarrassing) if she did not also try giving advice to the spell caster, especially those who were not first-years. Ranma did not think this habit would endear her to anyone, though he found it reasonably easy to ignore, having had to put up with his father's annoying habits for years.

"Are you doing magic?" she asked, sitting down. The boy look taken aback. Neville and Ranma gave each other commiserating glances. "Let's see it then."

"Er - all right." He cleared his throat and said "Sunshine, daisies, butter, mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

He waved his wand around, but nothing happened. The rat stayed asleep and gray.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said Hermione. "Well it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magical at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard – I've learned all our set books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough – I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

She said all this very quickly. The boys and Neville looked stunned, though Ranma was getting used to her habit of talking this way.

"I'm Ron Weasley." muttered the red-haired boy.

"Harry Potter." the other boy said. Ranma perked up instantly, as did Hermione.

"Are you really?" She said. "I've read all about you, of course – I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_."

"Am I?" Harry responded, looking dazed.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me." said Hermione. "Do either of you know which house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad...Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." She stood up and ushered Neville and Ranma out of the compartment before either could so much as say a word.

She was already at the next compartment when Ranma stopped her. "Hold on Hermione, you rushed us out of there before we could even introduce ourselves." he said with an annoyed tone.

"Yes, well we still have a lot of compartments to go." she replied.

"Yeah, but _you_ had time to introduce yourself and have a conversation." he said accusingly. "I mean, me or Neville might've wanted to talk too."

"No one's stopping you from going back." she said, her cheeks tinged with pink. "But I thought we were trying to find Trevor."

"Are you joking? We've been searching this whole time and we're almost at the end of the train. I don't think we'll find it." Ranma said. "You guys can keep looking if you want, but I'm going back."

"It's all right." said Neville. "Thanks for helping, Ranma."

Ranma nodded, then turned back and opened the door to the compartment. Harry and Ron looked up at him. "No, the toad's still not here." Ron said exasperatedly.

"What? Oh, no, I, uh, wanted to apologize for Hermione." Ranma said sheepishly. "I mean, she's cool-"

"You call that cool?" Ron said, rolling his eyes. Ranma grinned.

"Well, she's all right, just a little-"

"Bossy?" offered Harry.

"Annoying?" said Ron.

"I was going to say 'enthusiastic', but yeah, maybe." replied Ranma, grinning wider. "I'm Ranma Saotome, by the way. Do you two mind if I stick around?"

"Sure, as long as she's not coming back around." laughed Ron, and Ranma and Harry joined him.

"Say, Harry, did you know everyone's talking about you up and down the train?" said Ranma.

"Are they?" Harry replied, again looking surprised.

"Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? You're really famous, I told you." said Ron.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"You should be used to it by now, though. Hermione says you've been famous your whole life." said Ranma.

"Yeah, but I only just found out a month ago." said Harry, absently pushing his fringe back with his hand. Ranma could see the lightning shaped scar.

"Harry was raised by Muggles." Ron explained.

Ranma nodded. "I've only known about the wizarding world since May. My mum's a witch, but my dad kept it a secret from me. I hadn't even heard of you until today, actually."

"See what I said, Harry?" said Ron. "There are plenty of people who barely know anything about our world. You've got nothing to worry about."

"That's easy for you to say. You don't have people talking about you like you're some kind of hero when you don't even know what really happened yourself." Harry said doubtfully. Questions that Ranma was about to ask him died on his tongue. It seemed that Harry Potter knew as much about his defeat of You-Know-Who as Ranma did.

"You'll get used to it, mate. I mean, they can't talk about you forever, can they?" Ron said, grinning. "Anyway, did you guys hear about the break-in at Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, though I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles – someone tried to rob a high security vault."

"Really? What happened to them?" asked Harry.

"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My Dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get around Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd." Ron said. "'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."

Ranma perked up at the mention of the Dark Lord. What had this man done that would cause such near panic with a simple robbery attempt? "It was just a robbery though." Ranma said, dismissively. "What's all the fuss?"

Ron looked at him in disbelief. "Well, it's Gringotts, isn't it?" he said as if that explained everything. "You don't just walk in there and tell them to reach for the sky! You'd be a fool to try and rob them."

Harry nodded. "The vaults are magic. If you try to open one that's not yours, it'll suck you inside. And they only check them every ten years."

The grin slid from Ranma's face. He was beginning to get an idea of what You-Know-Who meant: power. He searched about in his mind for some way to change the subject, but Ron beat him to it.

"Either of you have a Quidditch team?" he asked.

"Err, I don't know any." said Harry.

"I've never seen a game." said Ranma.

"What!" Ron said, looking dumbfounded. "Just wait, it's the best game in the world -" He began explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he had been to with his brothers the broomstick he would like to get if he had the money. Though Ranma already knew the mechanics of the game, Ron was speaking so enthusiastically that he did not mind the reiteration. Ron was just going through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open and in stepped three boys, one of which was looking at Harry with great interest. Ranma recognized them from earlier when he had been searching for Trevor. They had been very unpleasant and condescending.

The shortest boy, who was obviously the leader, had a pale, pointed face and cold, gray eyes. The other two boys, thickset and mean looking, flanked him like bodyguards. "Is it true? They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?" he said to Harry.

"Yes." Harry replied, casting a glance at the other two boys.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and Goyle." said the boy, noticing where he was looking. Ranma eyed them warily. "And I'm Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough which may have been hiding a snigger. Draco shot an ugly look at him. "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." He looked at Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He held out his hand to shake but Harry did not take it. "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." Harry said coolly.

Malfoy's pale cheeks were tinged with pink. Ranma felt the atmosphere in the room chill distinctly. He narrowed his eyes warily at the boys. "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," Malfoy said slowly. "Unless you're politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."

Both Harry and Ron stood up. "Say that again." said Ron, his face as red as his hair.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.

"Unless you get out now." said Harry.

"I think Harry's right." said Ranma evenly, speaking for the first time. Perhaps it was Malfoy's attitude or the ugly smirks on the other two boys' faces, but Ranma was irritated. The boys seemed to only just notice Ranma's presence. "You three should go. Now." He stood next to Ron and Harry, though his height, about the same as Harry's, did not necessarily make their stand more impressive.

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle all laughed. "But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys?" said Malfoy, smirking. "We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."

Ranma saw Goyle reach for the pile of sweets still on the seat. With a move too fast for anyone else to see, he jabbed his Goyle's left forearm with his right index finger and held it there. The boy froze immediately, a look of pain on his face, his eyes watering. Crabbe, Malfoy, Harry, and Ron stared with incredulity as the bigger Goyle was subdued by Ranma's one finger.

Crabbe was the first to recover. Seeing his partner in trouble, he reached out to grab Ranma but, again, Ranma was too fast. He grabbed the boys outstretched arm and held it in place, applying pressure with his thumb to the wrist. Crabbe and Goyle were both frozen in place with pained looks in their eyes.

"Like I said, you three should leave, now." Ranma repeated, staring impassively at Malfoy.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Ranma Saotome." Ranma replied evenly, despite restraining the struggling Crabbe and Goyle.

Malfoy looked at him warily. "I'll remember this." he hissed before tapping Crabbe and Goyle's shoulders. "Let's go."

Ranma released them and they backed out of the compartment, glaring murderously at him. A second later, Hermione re-entered the compartment. "What _has_ been going on?" she asked, looking at the sweets on the floor.

Harry and Ron were not listening. Instead, they were staring at Ranma in awe. "What...how did you do that?" asked Ron.

"It was nothing." Ranma replied truthfully.

"That didn't look like nothing." said Harry. "Crabbe and Goyle are twice your size, but it looked like you overpowered _them_."

"It's simple, really, if you know where to apply pressure." said Ranma. "Anyway, you've met Draco Malfoy before, Harry?"

As he and Ron picked up the sweets, Harry told them about meeting Malfoy in Diagon Alley.

"I've heard of his family." said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"

"It wasn't them, it was me." said Ranma before Ron could retort. "And I wasn't fighting anyway."

"The way those boys ran out, you could've fooled me." Hermione said sharply. "Really, Ranma, what were you thinking-"

"Excuse me, but would you mind leaving while we change?" said Ron to Hermione, sounding irritated.

"All right – I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors." said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"

Ron glared at her as she left. "I think I'll head back to my compartment too." said Ranma, opening the door. "See ya in a bit."

Harry and Ron nodded at him as he left. Hermione had not been joking, for people were running through the corridor, startling and upsetting some of the younger students. A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." Ranma was beginning to feel a bit nervous.

"Hey, we thought you'd abandoned us." Ernie said when he re-entered the compartment. "Hermione says the toad hunt was a flop."

"Yeah, pretty much." Ranma shrugged, "But I did meet Harry Potter."

"You did?" asked Padma. "What's he like?"

"Did you see the scar?" asked Hannah.

"Uh, he seemed normal to me. And yeah, I saw the scar. It looks just like Parvati said." said Ranma. "Didn't Hermione mention him?"

"Well," said Ernie, "she didn't stay long, and was complaining about the toad, and how rude people were being, and was kind of..."

"Annoying." the others chimed in.

"Yeah. We weren't really listening to her, so she said she was going to the conductor to see how far we were and hasn't been back since."

The corridor was filling with students. "I think we should join them." Ranma said, jerking his thumb at the corridor. The others agreed and followed him into the throng as the train slowed to a stop. Everyone pushed their way forward out of the door and onto a tiny, dark platform. A lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Ranma heard a gruff, friendly voice calling out: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right, Harry?"

The big, hairy face of a man, the biggest man Ranma had ever seen, beamed over the heads of the students. He had a fierce, wild, shadowy face with beetle black eyes, and his mouth wore a kindly smile. "C'mon, follow me – any more firs' years? Mind yer step now! Firs' years follow me!"

"You know that man?" Ranma asked Harry after he had caught up to him.

"Yeah, his name's Hagrid. He's the Hogwarts grounds keeper." replied Harry.

They headed down a steep and narrow path, everyone but Hagrid and Ranma slipping and stumbling as they walked. Thick trees lined the path. No one spoke much, though Neville sniffed once or twice.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his should, "jus 'round this bend here."

There was a loud "Ooooh!" The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers. Ranma laid eyes on the castle that his mother had talked so fondly of for the first time and felt awed, even at this distance.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of boats sitting in the water by the shore. Ranma stepped into one, followed by Hannah, Parvati, and Padma.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid shouted. He was very large and was therefore sitting in a boat by himself. "Right then – FORWARD!"

The fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff.They all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto the rocks.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Ranma turned around quickly and saw Hagrid hand the toad to Neville. It took a moment for the significance of the exchange to hit him but, when it did, he smacked himself on the forehead.

"What was that for?" asked Ron, his eyebrow raised.

"The toad, it was in his robes the whole time." said Ranma, chuckling. "We did all that searching for nothing."

They clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? You still got yer toad?"

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 5: The Sorting Hat**

There are only **11** chapters remaining in Book 1...

Author's Notes:

Another month, another chapter. This is a pace I can live with after last month's epic 14k word installment. Not that it hasn't been fun but I can say that writer's block was looming before I took the time to write a timeline for this story. It helps sometimes to back up, look at the big picture, and get some perspective on where you're going, even if you've barely gotten going. To that end, the timeline in question is pretty well developed up to book 5, though the bulk of the details are in the backstory and the first book right now. I say all that to give you all confidence that I'm serious about keeping this thing moving, despite how daunting the task appears.

Feel free to skip this bit, but I'd like to comment briefly about keeping Ranma in character. This is a notorious problem for writers of Ranma fan fiction and one I struggle with because it's been so long since I've read or watched Ranma ½. I see 'Ranma the God' characterizations way too often and, while entertaining, these stories bother me because Ranma seems too nice and too awesome for the situations he faces. He needs flaws to make him more than a one dimensional karate machine. These things define his character, and while they can be gradually toned down, they can't be eliminated without introducing another flaw in its place. In these stories, Ranma won't magically lose his main character flaws (though he can learn to deal with them). The one flaw that I decided to downplay significantly, Ranma's tendency to put his foot in his mouth, is being replaced with a flaw that trumps even his cat phobia and curse combined. My intention is to make him a stronger person when this is all done and nothing will do that better than hardship and difficulty.

Finally, some answers for certain comments. The animagus transformation will not be used to cure Ranma of his phobia. I don't think it'd work and I also doubt that he'd actually transform into a cat anyway. Neither will he get a cat or kneazle for a pet. Taxzombie astutely noted that the kneazles were attracted to Ranma, a fact that will come to bear in the future. Ranma will not be Voldemort's nemesis because I believe it is Harry's battle. There are plenty other dark wizards for Ranma's attention.

Thanks to the reviewers, your comments keep me motivated. Thanks to everyone who reads this story, I check the hit counts every day to keep myself going on this story. And a big thanks to Kim, who puts up with my ceaseless prattling about this story. She's a main reason these things ever get done. Keep those questions and comments coming, and I'll see you in a month!

Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section!


	5. The Sorting Hat

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: Please note that this chapter contains excerpts from and is inspired by Chapter 7 of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits). If you're keeping score, it also has the same title as that chapter.

**Chapter 5: The Sorting Hat**

The giant door swung open immediately at Hagrid's third knock, revealing a tall, black-haired witch wearing emerald-green robes. She had a stern look about her and wore an expression that, to Ranma, seemed to say "I'm not to be trifled with."

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." said Hagrid. Ranma immediately recognized the name; this was the woman who, years ago, had brought the Hogwarts letter of invitation to his mother. He had expected her to look much older, considering how long ago his mother had been a student at Hogwarts.

Her gaze swept over the group quickly and she nodded at him. "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door completely open which, considering the size and thickness of it, seemed to be quite the display of strength for someone her age. The door opened into an entrance hall that could fit more than half of 13 Brandywine Court, by Ranma's reckoning. Its stone walls reached high above their heads to a ceiling that was too far off to see, and flaming torches, resting in iron holders on the walls, lit the room. Ahead, a grand marble staircase, the likes of which Ranma had only ever seen in pictures of great castles, led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor to a chamber off to the side of the main hall, from which Ranma could hear the overlapping chatter of hundreds of students. The first-years crowded into the chamber, everyone looking nervously about and standing rather closer than normal. Professor McGonagall followed them in and shut the chamber door, then turned to face them.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The-" she began, but stopped quickly and wrinkled her nose, as if she had gotten a whiff of something very unpleasant. After a moment of sniffing but not finding the source of the odor, she continued. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are here at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Everyone took the hint and begin adjusting their cloaks and running their fingers through their hair. A few of the girls took the time to re-adjust their ponytails. "I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."said Professor Mcgonagall, and she left the room. She need not have instructed them to remain quiet, for silence reigned over the room, barely interrupted by nervous whispering.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Ranma heard Harry ask.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." Ron responded, but he did not sound very confident.

"A test?" said Ernie, who was standing not far behind Ranma. "You think he's got it right?"

"I heard something like that from a third year." said Ranma, remembering what Lee Jordan had said in Madame Malkin's shop. He had disregarded the warning back then, what with the look Lee had given him and Hermione, like he wanted to laugh. But now, twenty yards from the crowded main hall, it seemed far more real, especially since he was not the only person who had been warned about the Sorting. Ranma was not so concerned about it being painful as he was with being unprepared and expected to perform in front of the entire school. Hermione, meanwhile, seemed to be taking Ron's comment as confirmation of her suspicions. She was whispering very quickly about all the spells she had learned and wondering which one she would need, completely oblivious to how her nervous monologue was making those around her equally as nervous.

Ranma was licking his lips, which were inexplicably dry, when the screams of several people made him bite down hard on his tongue. He whirled around, the hair on his neck standing on end, his tongue throbbing with pain, but what he saw made him forget the pain. He and everyone around him gasped as about twenty ghosts floated into the room through the back wall; Ranma felt someone, who turned out to be Hannah, grip his arm very tightly. The ghosts all seemed not to have noticed the first years, instead focusing on an argument amongst themselves. What looked like a little fat monk was saying: "Forgive and forget I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves?" said a ghost wearing a ruff and tights. "He gives all of us a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"

He had just noticed everyone in the room. No one else seemed inclined to speak, so Ranma answered. "S-sorting..." he half mumbled in a voice that was unexpectedly weaker than he had intended. He tried again. "Waiting to be sorted."

"Ah, new students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. "Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."

"Move along now." said the sharp voice of Professor McGonagall. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start." The ghosts slowly departed through the wall into the Great Hall.

"Now form a line and follow me." she said to everyone in the room. Ranma fell in line behind Hermione and was followed by Hannah, Ernie, Justin, Parvati, and Padma. He glanced back at them and they all looked as nervous as he felt. He wondered if they thought the same thing when looking at him. Ranma closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath, feeling the flow of ki through his body and relaxing his muscles to release tension, helping the nervousness wane considerably. The line of first years walked out of the chamber, back across the entrance hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

It was as, if not more, strange and wonderful as his mother had described so fondly. The Great Hall was at least five times the size of the entrance hall. Thousands of candles floated in mid-air above the four student-filled tables, lighting the entire hall. The tables were laid with glittering gold goblets and plates. At the opposite end of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. The first years followed Professor Mcgonagall up the hall so that they came to a halt in front of the teachers' table, lined up before the entire school. The faces of hundreds of students stared back at them, looking almost ghostly in the flickering candlelight. The real ghosts were dispersed amongst them, oddly bright and shimmering.

The other first years were looking everywhere but forward to avoid the stares, and some had looked up to the ceiling and whispered "Wow!" Ranma followed their gaze, knowing what to expect but feeling awed nonetheless. The ceiling of the Great Hall, as his mother had fondly recounted, was bewitched to look just like the sky above the hall and, until that very moment, Ranma had, in his mind, pictured a kind of giant painting. The real ceiling shattered that notion completely. There seemed to be no roof at all; instead, the walls faded into the starry, velvet black night sky, fooling the mind into believing that the same breeze pushing a cloud along was also softly blowing across one's cheek.

Everyone's attention returned to the hall as Professor McGonagall placed a four-legged stool in front of the line of first years, on top of which she placed a pointed wizard's hat. It looked very old, very worn, and very dirty. Ranma noticed everyone's attention was riveted to the hat, so he also looked at it, wondering what was about to happen. The hair on the back of his neck quite suddenly stood on end. Not one second later, the hat twitched and a rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat began to sing.

(A/N: I won't bore you with the sorting hat's song. I'm sure googling will find its lyrics if you really care to read them.)

The hall burst with applause as the hat finished its song. After bowing to each of the four tables, it became still again. Though he did not want to openly admit it, Ranma was quite relieved that the "test" was very simple. Ron seemed to agree with him.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" he whispered. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." she said loudly enough for the entire hall to hear. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A few places down from Ranma, Hannah stepped out of line, stumbling a bit from her nervousness, and walked toward the stool. Ranma smiled encouragingly at her and she returned the smile, looking a bit less nervous. She put on the hat, which was so large it fell down over her eyes, and sat down.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted after a moment. The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit at the Hufflepuff table.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The Hufflepuff table erupted again as they welcomed their second new member, who took a seat next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!" The second table from the left clapped this time. Terry Boot shook hands with several of his new house mates before sitting.

The Sorting Ceremony continued in this fashion, McGonagall calling a student's name, the Hat shouting their house, and the respective house table raucously celebrating the additions to their ranks. "Brocklehurst, Mandy" also went to Ravenclaw, while "Brown, Lavender" became the first Gryffindor. "Bulstrode, Millicent" and "Crabbe, Vincent", one of Draco Malfoy's cronies, joined the Slytherins.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was the next Hufflepuff, while "Finnigan, Seamus", the sandy-haired boy next to Harry, was the second sorted into Gryffindor, after nearly a minute wearing the hat. Ranma wondered if the hat would take that long for him. He had decided on Gryffindor before coming to Hogwarts because it was his mother's house but, after two of the people he he had met on the train had become Hufflepuffs, he was considering changing his mind.

Hermione was positively ecstatic when she was called, running to the stool and jamming the hat on her head in her excitement. She was even more happy after the hat announced her as a Gryffindor. Ranma heard Ron groan. She was followed by "Goyle, Gregory", who joined Crabbe at the Slytherin table.

Neville's sorting was the longest by far and, when the hat finally placed him in Gryffindor, he completely forgot to remove the hat. He was already at the table before remembering it was on his head and he jogged back to the stool amid laughter. He handed the hat to the next person, "MacDougal, Morag", whom the hat quickly confirmed for Ravenclaw.

The hat made Draco Malfoy a Slytherin almost immediately. This did not surprise Ranma in the least, as his cohorts had already been sorted into the house, and the house's reputation seemed to fit those three to a tee. Ranma got lost in the other names until Ernie was sorted into Hufflepuff, then Padma went to Ravenclaw while her sister went to Gryffindor. And then, Harry's name was called.

As he stepped forward, the hissing of whispered conversation swept through the hall. Everyone looked at Harry with intense interest. Seeming to ignore all the attention, he walked to the stool and pulled the Hat down over his eyes. The entire student body seemed poised on their tip-toes, waiting for the hat to announce the house.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled. The Gryffindor table exploded with applause and cheering. Harry looked dazed as he placed the hat back on the stool and walked to the Gryffindor table, where he was met by what looked like Ron's older brother, who shook Harry's hand vigorously. Two other boys, who also looked like brothers of Ron, were yelling "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

It was a few moments before everything calmed down enough for Professor McGonagall to continue. "Saotome, Ranma!"

Ranma felt his stomach lurch slightly as he stepped out of line. He thought he heard a few whispers as he picked up the hat, but he ignored them. He sat down on the stool and put on the hat.

"Hmmm, what have we here?" the Hat said in his ear. "Loyalty, hard-work, honor...pride? A need to prove yourself, a love for glory...Courage, lots of courage, indeed. Where shall I put you...you'd do well in Hufflepuff...or maybe Gryffindor?"

Ranma did not know if the Hat was asking him or just talking to itself. Thinking honestly and without prejudice, he thought that he would like to be around others who, like he did, thought that bravery, honor, and glory were above all else.

"Ah yes, I thought you might say that." the Hat responded, though Ranma had said nothing at all. "In that case, you'll be in GRYFFINDOR!"

Another cacaphonous round of applause greeted Ranma as he removed the hat from his head and placed it on the stool. He walked over to the table, grinning widely and being clapped on the back by Lee and other Gryffindors. Hermione gave him a big smile as he sat down. Ranma grinned to himself, knowing how his mother would react when he told her about being sorted into Gryffindor.

The Sorting Ceremony drew to a close shortly after Ranma's sorting. "Thomas, Dean", a tall black boy, joined Gryffindor, while "Turpin, Lisa" became a new Ravenclaw. Ron was extremely nervous when he put on the Sorting Hat but the Hat took no time in placing him in Gryffindor, much to the satisfaction of his brothers. Finally, "Zabini, Blaise", a tall black boy, was sorted into Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and took the Sorting Hat and stool away.

With the Sorting Ceremony over, Ranma now took a proper look at the head table. Hagrid the grounds keeper sat on the far left of the table. The rest of the teachers were seated down the High Table, with Mcgonagall taking a seat just right of the center chair. That large, gold chair, was occupied by a tall man with a long, silver beard and long, silver hair beneath his wizard cap. This, Ranma thought, must surely be the Hogwarts Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, a man that many referred to as "the greatest wizard of the age". The man had gotten to his feet, and Ranma could see that he was rather tall and thin with a kindly face and twinkling eyes. Ranma felt very strongly that, like many old masters he had met and faced, Dumbledore's elderly appearance belied great strength and knowledge.

Dumbledore beamed at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have made happier than seeing them all there.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

Ranma was not sure if the headmaster was joking, but he chuckled nonetheless. His stomach groaned with emptiness and he looked around expectantly, wondering when the food would be brought in. "Oy, Ranma, aren't you going to eat?" asked Dean. Ranma did a double take; the entire table was now positively sagging under the biggest spread he had ever laid eyes on. All manners of chicken, beef, and pork dishes, mounds of vegetables and baskets of bread had appeared from nowhere. Around him, everyone was helping themselves to the feast. Ranma smiled like a Cheshire cat, rubbed his hands gleefully, and piled his plate high.

"Now really, Ranma!" complained Hermione as a pea hit her in the forehead. "Can't you eat a bit less disgustingly?"

"Mmmf..." Ranma took a great swallow. "Sorry Hermione." he said sheepishly. He looked around and noticed several people staring at him with a mixture of incredulity and nausea. "What?"

"I've never seen anyone eat that fast." said Lee, sounding amazed. "Don't you need to breathe?"

"You should've seen him on the train." Parvati said, looking slightly ill. "How on earth do you fit half that food in your mouth?"

"Why is a better question. It's not like it's going to disappear." said Hermione.

"Yeah, well, you've never eaten with my father." said Ranma. "If you wanted to actually eat anything on your plate, you had to eat it before he did."

"You shouldn't let that talent go to waste." joked one of the Weasly twins, who was sitting next to Lee. "Charge admission, call yourself 'The Human Hoover'. You'd make a killing!" Everyone laughed, even Ranma, who was thankful that the potentially embarassing situation had been deflected.

He continued to eat, now at a more reasonable pace, and listened in on conversations. He overheard Harry and Ron talking to a ghost who called himself Sir Nicolas De Mimsey Porpington, though Ron insisted on calling him "Nearly Headless Nick". The reason for the name was simple enough, for the ghost's head was very nearly cut off, but for a small bit of sinew and muscle keeping it attached to his body. He demonstrated this fact with a bit of a flourish and satisfaction at the looks of horror it produced in the new students.

"So – new Gryffindors!" Nearly Headless Nick said to them. "I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors has never gone so long without winnin. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable – he's the Slytherin ghost."

Ranma and the others turned to look at the Slytherin table where they saw a ghost sitting next to Malfoy. He a gaunt face, blank, staring eyes, and was wearing robes stained with silvery blood. Ranma smirked at Malfoy, who did not seem to enjoy the Baron's company.

"How did he get covered in blood?" asked Seamus with great interest.

"I've never asked." Nearly Headless Nick replied delicately.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could (Ranma having reluctantly wrapped up his sixth plate when an older student told him he was holding up puddings), the remains of the food vanished from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the puddings appeared. Ranma's grin was as wide as ever and he was not the only one. Before them was an array of ice creams, tarts, pies, cakes, and puddings, all the sweet things he had liked so much but his father had not permitted because they were "not manly". Ranma piled his plate with one of everything, relishing the idea of spiting his father while eating all of his favorite things.

As they worked through the puddings, the conversation turned to everyone's family. Like Ranma, Seamus had a witch for a mother and a Muggle for a father, though apparently his mother did not reveal her magical background until after the marriage. "Bit of a nasty shock for him." Seamus said. Everyone laughed at this.

"What about you, Neville?" asked Ron.

"Well, my gran brought me up, and she's a witch." said Neville. "But I didn't know I had magic until I was eight. My Great Uncle Algie accidentally dropped me from a third story window-"

"How do you _accidentally_ drop someone from a third story window?" asked Harry incredulously.

"Well, he was always trying to scare some magic out of me, you see." Neville shrugged. "I didn't get hurt, I just bounced, and they were all really pleased. You should have seen their faces when I got in here – they thought I might not be magic enough to come. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."

"I'm Muggle-born." said Dean simply after Neville had finished. "Been doing funny stuff all my life, never knew it was magic. How about you, Ranma?"

"I'm like Seamus; mum's a witch, father's a Muggle. But I didn't know anything about magic until this year." he replied.

"And what's that accent? Never heard one like it." said Ron. "I mean, I understand you, but it's just weird."

"Japanese. My mum says it'll be strong since we only just moved here, but it'd get better. You should hear her though, she hardly has an accent because she lived here when she was my age."

"Did you say Japanese?" asked one of the Weasley brothers, who was leaning forward to see Ranma from around Harry and Hermione. "Your last name's Saotome, right? Is your mother Nodoka Saotome, the Japanese Ambassador?"

"Yeah, she is."

"Excellent! I'm Percy Weasley, by the way, fifth year, prefect." said the boy, rather self-importantly, extending his hand, which Ranma shook. "I've heard good things about your mother; youngest ambassador in a hundred years, potions mistress, former prefect. I'd be delighted to meet her sometime."

"Uh, okay." Ranma said, not sure if the older boy was just being pleasant or actually asking to meet his mother.

"Don't mind him, he's always like that with anything related to the Ministry." Ron said in a low voice. "Don't be surprised if he smarms up to you though."

"Ouch!" Harry exclaimed suddenly, clapping his hand to his forehead.

"What is it?" asked Percy.

"N-nothing." replied Harry not-so convincingly. "Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?"

"Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape." Percy said. "He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to – everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Ranma followed Harry's gaze up to the staff table, where it rested on the two men in question. One had black, greasy hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin and was wearing black robes. The other was younger, pale-skinned, and wearing a large purple turban. He seemed, to Ranma, to have an odd kind of nervous tick. "Which one's Snape?" he asked, though he thought he could guess.

"Quirrell's got on the turban." said Harry absently, as if he were not really paying attention.

"What's wrong with Quirrel?" asked Ron, seeing the man flinch a bit. "Is he all right in the head?"

"Hagrid reckons he had a bad run-in with a vampire or something." Harry replied, looking thoughtfully at the teacher. "Now he's nervous all the time." Ranma studied them for a few more moments but, while Snape did have a rather unpleasant look about him, neither seemed particularly interesting. For a split second he thought he saw an odd glowing aura around the Defense teacher's head but, when he blinked, it was gone. Shaking his head, Ranma returned to his mound of puddings and promptly forgot about it.

Finally, the puddings disappeared and Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet again. The hall fell silent. "Ahem – just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's looked meaningfully in the direction of the Weasley twins, who wore extremely unconvincing looks of innocent confusion. "I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house team should contact Madame Hooch. And finally," Dumbledore's tone changed so that, while it was still friendly, it was also serious, "I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

A few people laughed, but Ranma refrained, feeling certain, from Dumbledore's tone and his slightly admonishing look, that the headmaster was not joking. "He's not serious?" he heard Harry say to Percy.

"Must be. It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere – the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least." Percy said, sounding personally affronted.

Before they were dismissed, the headmaster directed them in the Hogwarts school song, whose slightly silly lyrics and lack of any real music (Dumbledore had let them choose their own tunes and tempos) had more than a few people chuckling and giggling.

"Ah, music, a magic beyond all we do here." said Dumbledore fondly after the Weasley twins had finished their slow, funeral dirge variation. "And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

Ranma stretched and yawned, then stood and followed the other Gryffindor first years. Perrcy guided them through the mass of students, through the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. On the stone walls of the castle were hung regularly spaced paintings of all sizes. Ranma was completely unsurprised to see that they were animated like his mother's photographs. Their route was certainly not short or direct; Percy led them through corridors hidden behind sliding panels and tapestries and up several staircases. Ranma distantly realized that he would probably be lost the second he left the Gryffindor common room, but the problem was hours away, far too long for him to start worrying about it right then. He pushed the idea from his mind, instead thinking of the feast and his bed roll.

Ranma suddenly heard Percy yell "Look out!", snapping him out of his half-sleeping walk and putting him on alert. It was not fast enough, however, and the next moment he was drenched with ice cold water. "What the-" Ranma spluttered, whipping her head around, trying to find the source of the water. Above her, she could see an upside down bucket, still dripping water and floating with no support. A disembodied laugh gleefully mocked Ranma, the only person who had been hit by the water.

"Peeves! Show yourself!" Percy said. A very loud raspberry, like the sound of air released from a balloon, answered him.

"Do you want me to get the Bloody Baron?" threatened Percy.

There was a small -pop- and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating in mid-air and clutching the handle of the bucket. "Oooh! Ickle firsties need a bath! Should get the lot of them!" he said with an evil cackle. He swooped at them suddenly.

Everyone but Ranma ducked, whose retaliation was unhesitating and swift. Her hand shot out and snatched the bucket from Peeves' grasp in a quick move. On the backhand swing, she brought the bucket back, scooping the surprised little man into it before slamming it onto the ground, trapping Peeves underneath. Ranma pressed her foot down hard on the bucket. He may have been small, but the little man possessed incredible strength.

"Where'd he go?" asked Percy, looking around. He followed everyone's gaze down to the bucket from which muffled curses could be heard. "You caught him-"

"Ranma, what happened to your hair?" Hermione interjected. Everyone's attention was suddenly on her and her now very red hair. Ranma groaned inwardly at herself. She had expected to eventually have her curse revealed but certainly not so soon. Had she not acted in anger, she was sure she might have been able to reverse the curse without anyone really noticing.

"And you're shorter..." noted Ron. Everyone's eyes went to Ranma's robes which were now too long for her. Percy particularly looked at her with considerable curiosity.

Ranma sighed and told them the story that she and her mother had prepared for just such an event. "Yeah, I can explain. I have a curse that changes my hair color and makes me shorter." she said half-truthfully, her cheeks red. "Cold water makes me like this and hot water makes me normal."

She pulled out a thermos of hot water and dumped it over her head. Everyone gasped at the sudden change and Percy removed his glasses, his eyes wide with, amazingly enough, disbelief. Hermione, however, looked very excited.

"Amazing, a real curse! But it doesn't seem anything like the ones I've read about. Of course, it might be very advanced magic. I'll have to check my books..." she said, mostly to herself, very quickly.

Ranma rolled his eyes, wondering why witches and wizards, especially ones who had been around magic their entire lives, were remotely surprised or impressed by the curse. "Don't make a big deal of it, please." he said. "Or try to throw water on me. Sometimes I react before thinking." He pointed to the bucket, which Peeves was pounding on.

"Yes, well...that won't be necessary, Saotome." Percy said, regaining his composure. "If I see anyone purposely throwing water on Ranma, you'll have detention."

"It's okay to throw it on anyone else then?" asked Seamus, too low for Percy to hear. Everyone snickered.

"Who is this 'Peeves' anyway, and what should I do with him?" asked Ranma.

"He's a poltergeist, a very mean-spirited, persistent, and trouble-making one. I'd be very careful letting him go."

"I'll be careful." Ranma said sardonically. "I mean, what can he really do?"

The other Gryffindors backed away, not feeling as confident as he felt. Ranma turned around, pulled back his leg, and kicked the bucket with the inside of his foot, making sure not to hit it so hard that it shattered. The bucket and the poltergeist sailed far down the hall and curved around a corner, the cursing of Peeves echoing after. "Nice kick, mate!" said Dean appreciatively. "You play football?"

"Let's get a move on." said Percy before Ranma could answer. "And you all want to be careful of Peeves. He'll only listen to the Bloody Baron. Completely ignores even us prefects. Ah, here we are now."

At the end of the corridor was a large painting of very fat woman in a pink silk dress. "Password?" she asked, surveying them with a curious but friendly eye.

"Caput Draconis." said Percy. The portrait swung forward, revealing a round hole in the wall. They scrambled through it. Ranma, despite being the shortest, had the easiest time while Neville needed help. On the other side they found the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, high ceiling room with a great fireplace, big, cushioned old armchairs, and large tables. "Girls, your dormitory is that way, just ask someone where it is." he pointed to a door on the right. "The rest of you follow me."

They entered a door and climbed a stone spiral staircase all the way to the top, where they found their beds. Their trunks had been placed in front of each of the six four-poster beds, which were hung with deep, red velvet curtains. The other boys tiredly pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed while Ranma pulled his bed roll from his trunk and laid it on the floor.

"Aren't you going to sleep in the bed?" asked Harry sleepily.

"No," said Ranma, yawning as he changed into a pair of shorts. "Too soft."

Perhaps it was the food or the long trip, but Ranma was so tired he did not even finish his evening exercises. He fell asleep on the bed roll halfway through a pushup, blissfully unaware of the trouble that awaited him the following morning.

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 6: The Poltergeist and the Potions Master**

There are only **10** chapters remaining in Book 1...

Author's Notes:

Two weeks since the last update, surely a new record for me. Consider it a gift. This is probably the most boring and shortest chapter in the first book and I just had to follow along, adding my own flare to it. I would not blame you at all for skimming this chapter if you've read the first Harry Potter book, just don't skim too much and miss some of the set up for things to come. The next chapter will not really follow canon explicitly (though I'm not changing anything except for inserting Ranma and his antics) and will, in fact, be a more substantial chapter than in the book.

Now, as this chapter revealed Ranma's house, I feel certain there will be much applauding and gnashing of teeth in response to the Sorting Hat putting him in Gryffindor. Yes, this was the obvious choice, in-so-far as it makes writing the story a bit easier, but that's not the obvious reason for why I wrote it that way. I'm certain that, in terms of personality, no other house fits Ranma. Ranma is only a team player when it suits him but, generally, he wants to get all the glory. He may be a prodigy when it comes to martial arts but he's never shown any particular aptitude in schoolwork. He's proud to the point of arrogance, but he's also got a sense of fair play and honor that generally keeps him from being underhanded. He's as subtle as a punch in the face. I believe he values bravery and displays of bravery, over teamwork, power, or intelligence, especially considering he was raised by Genma to always act "manly". Incidentally, Hufflepuff was a close second; he would have gotten on well with them, though his tendency towards showboating, going solo, and acting the hero would have damaged his reputation in the house. Humility is not Ranma's greatest quality.

Time to respond to some questions/comments. Robes are a pain for someone like Ranma but I think he'll fix that quickly enough. Hints of future female entanglements...well, I think some hints can be gathered so far. Ranma as a trouble magnet? You bet, though the comment from whimsy007 made me realize that I hadn't planned for enough of said trouble. That has been taken care of, as you may deduce from the end of this chapter, but that won't be the only source of Ranma's troubles.

Thanks to the reviewers and readers. Keep those comments coming. Special thanks to Kim and Ed for reading this before I unleashed it into the wild.

Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section!


	6. The Poltergeist and the Potions Master

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: "+" denotes Genma-panda's sign language. Please note that this chapter contains excerpts from and is inspired by Chapter 7 of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits). If you're keeping score, it also has the same title as that chapter.

**Chapter 6: The Poltergeist and the Potions Master**

"Hey there! What do ya think yer doin'?" a gruff voice of called out. Ranma threw a quick glance in the direction of the voice and saw the large form of Hagrid striding towards him very quickly. He did not reply, instead continuing his kata, one of the more obscure forms in the Anything Goes Saotome Ryu. Normally he would never practice the form in public, but he was fairly sure no one at the school was anywhere near skillful enough to copy the moves. Besides, it was very early in the morning and, until just then, Ranma had been practicing alone on the far shore of the great lake.

"Didja hear me?" Hagrid said sternly, coming to a halt near Ranma. "Yer not s'posed to be out here now. Yer out o' bounds."

Ranma paused, his leg extended mid-kick. "How am I out of bounds?" he asked. "I'm still on school grounds. Is it against the rules to get up early and exercise?"

Hagrid frowned. "Not exac'ly...but it's still dark out, and yeh barely know the school..." he trailed off. "Say, whatsat yer doin'?"

"This is a form from my family school. You know, martial arts." said Ranma, continuing his form by ending the kick and springing high into the air to perform mid-air kicks.

Hagrid seemed impressed but not surprised that Ranma could jump over his head. "Looks like some o' that chopsocky I once seen this Oriental man do. Min' you, 'e didn't move so fast or jump so 'igh, but it looked about the same."

Ranma grunted in response, concentrating on his own movements. Hagrid watched him another minute before speaking again. "This may be a dumb question, but yer not from Britain, are yeh? Got an interestin' accent there." he said.

"It's Japanese." Ranma replied, thinking it was rather rich of Hagrid to make note of his accent when the man had a pretty strong one himself. He finished the final move of the form, steadying his breathing. He focused his attention on Hagrid. Up close, he seemed even larger than Ranma had remembered.

"Japanese, eh?" said Hagrid. "What's yer name?"

"Ranma Saotome."

"Ah." said Hagrid thoughtfully. "Yeh know, I think yer only the second Japanese kid to come to Hogwarts. Yer mum, she was the first."

Ranma perked up as he began to stretch. "You knew my mum?"

"Yeah, I know jus' about all the students' parents, at leas' the ones with wizards or witches fer parents. Been here at Hogwarts most o' my life. Now yer mum, she was a bright witch. No surprise she's ambassador now, got a good 'ead on 'er shoulders. Not exac'ly big on magical creatures, though." Hagrid sounded slightly disapproving. "Yer definitely 'er son, yeh look real sim'lar to Nodoka. An' if yer like she was 'er first year... well, I expect Professor McGonagall will have some words with yeh." He grinned knowingly at Ranma, who did not know what to make of that comment.

"Anyway, I got ter get along. My name's Hagrid, by the way, Rubeus Hagrid."

"I know. Harry told me about you." said Ranma, holding his hand out. The man seemed surprised but grasped (or, rather, enveloped) Ranma's hand firmly and shook it. "That's some grip you have there."

"Oh right, sorry 'bout that, sometimes don't know me own strength." Hagrid said apologetically.

Ranma rubbed his hand and flexed it but threw a grin at Hagrid. "It's okay, I don't usually find people who are all that strong, so I didn't put much strength into that handshake. I usually have to be careful about _my_ grip, actually." he said, looking thoughtful. Though the man was no doubt very strong and tough (his calloused hands were proof enough of that), Ranma could see from his bearing that he was no fighter.

"I know what yeh mean." Hagrid said ruefully. "Mind yerself goin' out early. I won' make a fuss about it but Filch might, an' 'e'd love nothin' better'n to give yeh a detention. Oh, and say hi to Harry for me next time you see 'im, willya?"

"All right." said Ranma. "See you around, Hagrid."

Ranma finished the rest of his morning routine as the sun broke the horizon. He hurried back to Gryffindor tower feeling loose, energized, and ready to handle his first day at Hogwarts. Very fortunately he ran into Nearly Headless Nick on the way back, otherwise it might have taken him an hour to find his way back to the tower. Half an hour later, after washing up and changing into his robes, he joined his fellow first years to head down for breakfast. They all went down together in a show of solidarity, though Ranma thought it probably looked more like nervousness.

As they walked down the marble staircase, chattering amongst themselves, the Gryffindors noticed that the students from other houses were make a dash through the Entrance Hall, running erratically as they sprinted towards the Great Hall . "What do you reckon?" asked Ron, looking perplexed.

Hermione looked about before pointing about twenty feet above the floor. "Oh no, it's Peeves." Indeed it was, and the poltergeist was swooping about, laughing loudly while pretending to throw a bucket of water on anyone who passed. "What should we do?"

"Only thing we can do is run for it." said Harry, shrugging.

"No, I'll handle him." said Ranma, his tone clearly indicating he was still smarting from the previous evening's dousing. "You guys all make a dash for the Great Hall, and I'll grab him while he's distracted."

They did not have time to put their plan into action, for Peeves had spotted them. "Oh ho ho, ickle Gryffindors! Afraid you'll get all wet?" he cackled, swooping near them but not near enough for Ranma to grab him. "And where's the red-haired brat, Peevesy saved this bucket just for him!"

"Run for it!" said Ranma, but he need not have bothered, for the others had taken off down the stairs midway through one of Peeves' flips. The poltergeist's eyes lit up; he righted himself and chased them down the stairs. Ranma was close on his tail, waiting for the right moment. Just as Peeves dove at Lavender, who had just reached the bottom of the steps, Ranma jumped from near the bottom of the stairs and caught him in a headlock. The two landed with a great -thud- at the foot of the stairs. Ranma was no worse for wear, having fallen from greater heights before, but Peeves was out of breath, the wind knocked out of him. He was not happy about the situation at all, especially as his head was still firmly locked beneath Ranma's arm, despite his struggles.

"Geroff me!" he screamed, writhing in Ranma's grasp. "Get your filthy hands off me!"

"Only if you say the magic word." Ranma said, smirking. "Now stop trying to throw water on me and stop bothering people."

"Wasn't trying to get you, but Peeves will remember you next time!" said the poltergeist furiously. "Peeves won't forget this, no he won't!"

Ranma rolled his eyes. "I'm petrified, really. Now get lost. Next time I won't be so nice." He let the little man go, who immediately flew out of range, cursing him all the way. The students in the Entrance Hall began clapping and cheering as he flew away.

"Well done." a passing Gryffindor said, slapping Ranma on the back.

"That was amazing." said Seamus. "Never heard of a poltergeist backing down like that."

"It was nothing, really." said Ranma, feeling very embarrassed but also very pleased at the attention.

"Well, I'd have thought you'd have listened to Percy." said Hermione with a sniff as they made their way to the Gryffindor table. "If you keep fighting with Peeves, he'll get you into trouble."

"No way." said Ron as he piled his plate with bacon and toast. "You saw the way Ranma handled him. Peeves will probably run the other way next time he sees Ranma."

"I don't think so, little bro'." said one of the Weasley twins, whom Ranma had learned was named George. He and his twin, Fred, were third year students. They sat down near the first years. "I'm not saying it wasn't brilliant, what you did to Peeves-"

"God knows I've wanted to take a poke at him myself." said Fred, grinning.

"- but he's got a long memory and a love for trouble." George finished. "I'd be careful if I were you."

Ranma shrugged as he wolfed down his breakfast. "I think I can handle him." he said after a great gulp, sounding unconcerned.

After they had received their time sheets from Professor McGonagall, the Gryffindor first years trooped out of the Great Hall towards their first class. They were not even to the marble staircase when they heard a great -splash- and cursing. To no one's surprise, Peeves was, again, in the firm grasp of Ranma, whose robes and now very red hair were soaked.

"Lemme go!" the poltergeist cried.

"I told you I wouldn't be nice this time." Ranma said through gritted teeth. "Now leave. Me. ALONE!" With a mighty swing of his right leg, Ranma punted the little man high into the rafters of the Entrance Hall. Peeves let off a string of very rude curses, punctuated by dull thuds as he bounced off rafters on the way up. Ranma dusted his hands off and doused himself with hot water from his handy thermos, completely oblivious to the incredulous stares from his classmates.

"Mate, are you _sure_ you've never played football?" Dean asked.

"That poltergeist must be mental. I thought for sure he'd avoid Ranma." said Ron, shaking his head.

"Well, if that didn't sort him out, I don't know what will." Harry remarked, his eyes wide. Others nodded in agreement

"If it didn't, I'll punt him again." Ranma shrugged as he wrung out his pigtail. "Stupid poltergeist..."

"Why don't you just ignore him? He's just going to keep having a go at you if you don't." said Hermione in a very bossy tone. "You're going to lose points for Gryffindor if you keep this up!"

Though he hated to admit it, as the first day progressed, she was right. Wherever he went, Peeves was waiting with a bucket of water and a vindictive smile. His classmates soon learned to give Ranma a wide berth, as Peeves' aim was not very accurate and they were as likely as Ranma to be splashed. Peeves had also learned well enough to stay out of Ranma's reach, though that did not stop Ranma from chasing him on the few occasions he actually managed to soak Ranma. Peeves put his powers of flight and invisibility to great use, much to Ranma's consternation.

By the end of the first day of classes, Ranma was half-seriously considering Hermione's suggestion. True enough, he had caught and punted Peeves several times that day, but the chases had also landed him in trouble, to the poltergeist's delight. Peeves knew the castle like the back of his own hand and seemed to intentionally lead Ranma on the most winding and drawn out routes through the school before disappearing abruptly. By the time Ranma had gotten his bearings and directions from friendly ghosts or students, he was very late to his classes. That, however, was not the end of his Peeves-induced problems.

Peeves also had an annoying habit of flying in the most crowded and narrow corridors while being chased, which put Ranma at a considerable disadvantage. He was forced to be rather reckless just to keep up with the taunting poltergeist. This did not endear him to his fellow students, many of whom he rudely shoved aside, oblivious to their anger. Even worse, all of the ruckus he and Peeves were causing put him squarely on the bad side of Argus Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker, especially since he nearly always managed to damage or upset suits of armor, statues, and paintings. Filch seemed to harbor a general loathing for students, an odd trait for someone who lived and worked at a school. The man could flit about the castle unusually fast thanks to his extensive knowledge of the school's secret passages. And even when he was not around, his nosy, tattle-tale of a cat named Mrs. Norris was always stalking the corridors looking for troublemakers. Ranma had not seen said cat and, thanks to his training, was able to avoid getting caught by Filch most of the day. It was quite the surprise, then, when the caretaker accosted him in the Great Hall during dinner.

"Thought you'd get away with it, eh?" Ranma turned around from his dinner to see Filch grin at him with a horrible mixture of dislike and satisfaction. Ranma's heart sank.

"What? Me?" he said, trying and failing to sound innocently surprised.

"Don't try to deny it. I know it was you what caused all the ruckus today. I been runnin' all about the castle on account of you. As if I don't have other work to do!" the man snapped, glowering at Ranma in what was supposed to be a threatening manner but actually looked a bit comical. "You wouldn't be breaking things if I had the authority to whip you! Teach you and the other miserable first-years about besmirching this castle, eh?"

"It wasn't me, it was Peeves!" said Ranma half-truthfully.

"That's not what I heard." Filch snapped. "I can't whip you, but I can give you detention. Some good, hard work ought to teach you. My office, tomorrow at five o'clock Saotome, and don't be late. And Professor McGonagall'l be hearing about this." The man turned on his heel and stalked out of the Great Hall.

Ranma groaned as he turned back to his dinner. "Bad luck there, mate." said Dean.

"Yeah, on the first day too." said Ron before taking a huge bite out of a chicken leg.

"Well, it's your own fault." said Hermione from behind her Transfiguration book. "Honestly, I told you Peeves would be a problem, you're lucky no one took any points."

"It wasn't luck, it was skill." Ranma snapped irritably. "I wish I knew how Filch found out it was me though. He never saw me doing anything."

"Probably Peeves." Harry volunteered. "He'd probably get a laugh out of you getting into trouble."

"Yeah, stupid git." Ranma replied, savagely stabbing a potato. "I'll get him for this..."

"Just ignore him and he'll go away." Hermione said, sounding exasperated. "Honestly, it's not that hard."

"That's easy for you to say. You're not getting soaked after leaving every class." Ranma threw back, dropping his fork to his plate. He stood to leave. "I'll see you all later."

Ranma walked past the marble staircase after exiting the Great Hall, thankful that Peeves was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the corridors were empty, as most of the students were still busy with dinner. He was still feeling nettled by Hermione's I-told-you-so attitude, the detention that he had received, and his poltergeist problem. As always, when he needed to blow off some steam, Ranma fell back on martial arts to calm his mind and sharpen his focus.

It had vaguely occurred to him in August, when he and his father had stopped talking to one another, that he would have to direct his own training. It had been easy enough to do when he was on vacation and had free time, but now that he was occupied from eight AM to four PM during the week and had homework, he had not figured out how he would keep up his training. Further complicating things was the curfew, which required all first-years to be in their common rooms by seven PM, and his lack of a suitable training area. Tempting fate twice by staying out past curfew _and_ leaving the castle did not seem like a good idea to Ranma. He needed to find a place inside the castle, somewhere large and out of the way, where he could have freedom of movement and not have to worry about keeping quiet.

Ranma wandered the castle for a half hour, meeting no one as he explored. He eliminated the dungeons out almost immediately, as he found they were both cold and prone to echoes. The main floors of the school were right out since they also held the teachers' offices and quarters. That left only the castle's many towers, whose long and steep stairwells would probably keep anyone away unless they were forced to walk up them for a class. Of the towers, he chose the southern most, the only one he had found with a reasonably sized roomed at the top that did not contain a classroom.

The circular room actually seemed to be an aberration. It was twice the height of other rooms in the castle, easily rising forty feet tall, and seemed to be the diameter of the tower itself. As he entered, torches around the wall and a large chandelier made of hundreds of candles that hung above the center of the room slowly flickered to life, bathing the room in a rich golden glow. The room's circular wall was broken up periodically by large, heavy curtains that, Ranma assumed, covered fairly sizable windows. Though there were many chairs stacked along the walls, there were no tables or desks. On the northern side of the class was a raised dais, upon which stood a podium and blackboard. In the center of the room was a circular, brown padded mat whose edge was about fifteen feet from the wall. It was scuffed and frayed with use and Ranma could see faded lines on its surface that reminded him of the mats used in martial arts competitions.

He walked around the room's wall, pausing to study the faded, yellowing, and curled signs and posters pinned and hung on the wall. One read:

**Dueling Rules of Engagement**

**Always bow before a duel**

**Do not attack a wandless opponent**

**Do not attack a second or third**

**Do not attack the officiant**

**Do not transfigure an opponent**

**Do not cross the center lines**

**Do not attack without a wand**

**Do not...**

Ranma stopped reading when he realized the list was actually scrolling up and did not seem to be anywhere near the end. Other posters showed "the proper dueling stance", "approved dueling practices", and "the benefits of non-lethal dueling", while signs, handwritten on parchment, advertised tryouts for house dueling teams and, intriguingly, the Hogwarts Dueling Club team. He finally came across a strangely empty picture frame, nearly half as tall as the room, immediately behind the dais which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be the very room in which Ranma was standing.

Ranma removed his shoes and his robes, which were badly ripped from all of the activity that they were not designed to handle. When Madam Malkin had fitted him for them, he had vaguely considered that they would limit his movement, and chasing Peeves had proved it. He made a mental note to write home and ask for several new sets of robes, this time with splits on the sides, front, and back up to his waist (which, incidentally, were exactly the same places his robes had ripped).

Ranma stepped onto the mat and immediately felt at home on the sturdy but slightly cushioned surface. He warmed his muscles up by running around the circle several times and then stretched before beginning his practice. Thinking of Justin Finch-Fletchely for a moment, he began performing karate katas, a martial art he had not practiced in over a year. His muscles, however, remembered everything perfectly, allowing him to mull over the day.

If he excluded all of the problems with Peeves, it had actually been a fairly interesting day. The first class of the day, History of Magic, was taught by one Professor Binns. Ranma had expected the class to be interesting, especially considering that the teacher was a ghost, but he was sorely disappointed. Binns' teaching style consisted entirely of reading a lecture from his notes in a monotonous, unceasing voice. Figuring he could probably read the material later, especially since Hermione was avidly taking notes, Ranma had promptly fallen asleep in the class.

After Binns dismissed them (and Hermione had scolded him for snoring so loudly), Ranma and the rest of the Gryffindors tramped down to the school greenhouses for Herbology. The class was taught by a dumpy little witch named Professor Sprout. The general idea of the class was to learn about the care and use of magical plants and fungi and, in general, it seemed like the kind of practical, hands on instruction that he liked. Ranma was pleased to see that, while Hermione managed to get her hand up quicker when Professor Sprout asked questions, he still knew most of the answers.

Charms was the final class the day and the one to which he had been looking most forward. Professor Flitwick, an extremely short old man with strangely pointy ears, was the teacher. He was so short that he stood on a stack of books to see over his desk. He began the class by calling the roll and Ranma had to stifle his laughter when Professor Flitwick called Harry Potter's name with an excited squeak and promptly toppled off the books. He then demonstrated a succession of amazing spells that did everything from summoning a book from the bookcase to making a desk dance a jig. Ranma immediately liked Professor Flitwick's good natured, patient teaching style. The class ended very well with everyone casting the _Lumos_ spell, which turned the tip of the wand into a kind of lantern, with varying levels of success.

Midway through a kata, Ranma had a sudden, tingly feeling on the back of his neck, but he did not feel as alarmed as he would have months ago. He had guessed, before leaving Japan, that he might be sensitive to whatever energies governed magic, much as he was sensitive to ki. Diagon Alley and Hogwarts had proved this to be true, though it was rather annoying to have his hackles up nearly all the time due to the sheer amount of magic in the school. As a matter of fact, the experience was reminiscent of the first few months after Genma had begun his training in ki detection and manipulation more than three years ago. The ki auras of every living thing had bombarded him until he learned to focus. If magical energy was anything at all like ki, he would have to train himself to see it properly, only this time he would have to do it alone. He imagined that, like his ki-sense, it would be a highly useful ability to possess.

Ranma ignored the tingle, at least until a voice startled him. "You there, what are you doing here?" it demanded. He spun around in an instant and landed in a defensive pose, only to see that the owner of the voice, a young woman with short, blonde hair, was in the previously vacant picture. She was dressed in short-sleeved, midnight blue robes patterned with silver stars. On her left forearm was a strap of sorts that held a wand in place. Walking forward to get a closer look, he saw that she had penetrating grayish-blue eyes, high cheekbones, and a thin, short nose. "Did you hear me? What are you doing here?"

Ranma realized he was staring for some reason and shook his head. "Sorry, I was just looking around." he said.

"Oh," she replied, sounding disappointed. "I thought...well, never mind. I don't think you're supposed to be in here."

"Why not? No one said it was out of bounds."

"Well, no one has been up here in ages, and it used to be off limits to students. Perhaps times have changed..." she sighed wistfully.

Ranma looked confused. "Couldn't you have asked someone? I mean, you can move between the paintings, right?"

"Oh yes, but I haven't bothered to ask about this class since...well, I'm not sure when the last time was."

"What was this class anyway?"

"Do be serious, it should be obvious." She looked at him expectantly, but Ranma just shrugged. "Dueling! Honestly, what do they teach you down there?"

"Sorry, it's my first day of classes." Ranma replied defensively, though he could see why she thought it was obvious. "And I don't' think we have a dueling class."

"No, I suppose not." she said sadly. "Wizard duels were popular for several hundred years. This class was necessary so that students would be prepared to defend themselves properly and correctly in a duel. Of course, dueling went out of favor years ago..."

"So they stopped teaching the class?" he asked, sounding as disappointed as she. He had barely given thought to the martial aspects of magic, so the idea of a system of magical combat intrigued him. "That's too bad, I'd have liked learning about that."

The woman perked up considerably at this. "Really? What's your name?" Ranma told her. "Well, _that's_ an odd name, and so is your accent. Are you a China man?"

"I'm _Japanese_." Ranma said, bristling slightly.

"Oh, of course." she said rather dismissively. "I'm Freya Fencer, by the way, former Hogwarts professor."

"Professor? You look a little young for that." Ranma said, sounding skeptical. None of his teachers looked younger than forty, and this woman could have easily passed as a Hogwarts student.

"I was the youngest in the history of Hogwarts, actually," Freya replied, sounding pleased with herself. "I started as the teacher of dueling the September after I finished my seventh year."

"So should I be calling you 'Professor'?"

"No...I'm not a teacher anymore, so I see no reason why you should." she said "Anyway, what was that you were just doing?"

"Just a bit of karate." he replied, not exactly surprised at her look of confusion. "That's a type of Muggle dueling, I guess you could say."

Freya immediately looked disapproving. "Why would you bother with that nonsense when you've got a wand?"

"Its _not_ nonsense!" Ranma said heatedly. She had hit close to home. "It's dead useful stuff to know."

"What's so useful about it? All of that movement is useless when you're hit with a spell." she said.

"And that wand is useless if your target is too fast to hit with a spell." Ranma retorted. "You may be some great duelist, but there's no way you're fast enough to hit me."

He had said the right (or likely wrong) thing. She was incensed. "Me, not able to jinx a first-year? I'll show you!" She threw out her left arm, causing the wand to slip from it's holster and into her hand, and waved it at him.

Ranma smirked, but the expression was not long on his face before he felt a surge of energy gather and erupt from the painting in the form of a red bolt. He gawked for a second before his body reacted and he ducked, the spell making his pigtail flutter in its wake. "What the-" he began, but got no further as she shot more spells at him. For two, three, four frenetic minutes, he flipped, rolled, and flailed, narrowly avoiding the spells that were becoming increasingly accurate. He finally rolled forward and knelt down in front of the dais, where she could not hit him.

"What's the matter?" she taunted. "Why don't you use your wand?"

"I told you today was my first day!" he yelled back at her. She laughed at him. "Fine, I'll end this already. Here I come!"

Ranma rolled away from the dais, more spells following closely after. Within a step he had closed the gap and was directly in front of the painting. She paused, surprised at his audacity, her wand pointed directly at his chest. "And what good do you think that will do you?" Freya asked haughtily. Ranma smirked at her.

"Go ahead, cast your spell. You can't win." he replied.

"Why you little..." she spluttered. Another bolt of red light shot from her wand. In that split second, Ranma made his move. He bent his legs and tilted his shoulders right. As the spell left the painting and passed over his shoulder, his left hand shot out and, unbelievably, plunged into the picture itself, where it grabbed her wand arm by the wrist and forced her to drop the wand. He looked up at her and smirked at her astonishment. "How-how did you..."

"I paid attention. All of that dodging wasn't just to avoid your spells. I was watching you to see how you were able to cast a spell outside of this painting. I saw that you were really casting two spells; the first one opens a hole in the magical barrier."

She nodded. "That's true, but it's only open a second. There's no way you could have reached through without magic!"

"I didn't need magic. A second's more than enough time for me." he said. "That 'nonsense', as you called it, made me strong and fast enough to beat you."

She furrowed her brow before looking away. "I may have been hasty with my words." she said, sounding embarrassed. "I apologize."

Ranma shrugged. "It's okay. I didn't mean to insult your skills either." he said, releasing her wrist and pulling it back out of the painting. They looked away from each other awkwardly for a moment before Ranma remembered the time. "I think I should get going before I miss curfew."

"Of course." she said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Come by and see me some time. I should like to see more of this 'Muggle dueling' of yours."

"Don't worry. This is the best training room I've seen in a while. You couldn't keep me away." he said as he slipped his shoes and robes back on. "See you later." The candles and the torches extinguished as he exited. He was happy to note that, for a change, one of his battles had ended with his opponent's eyes full of mutual respect and not hatred.

The following day played out very much as the first had, though the first-years opted to go down to breakfast separately. Ranma joined Harry and Ron and, between the three of them, they managed to get down to the Great Hall without any major detours. Peeves was, again, Ranma's constant and very annoying shadow, but he was quite reluctant to follow the Gryffindors to Transfiguration or Defense Against The Dark Arts, for which everyone was thankful.

Transfiguration was another class Ranma had been looking forward to, having spent a reasonable amount of time reading the set book over the summer. This branch of magic focused on transforming objects into other objects. Ranma had been correct in his assessment of Professor McGonagall, who taught the class; she was not to be trifled with.

She made sure to set them straight right away. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts." she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and never come back. You have been warned."

McGonagall had then changed her desk into a pig, which snorted loudly before she returned it to its former state. Everyone was very impressed and excited, but their excitement dissolved quickly when she handed out matches to each of them to try and turn into a needle. Try as he might, Ranma could not make any noticeable difference in his match, though he imagined that sitting next to Hermione did not help. Between continuously talking about the little improvements that she kept making on her own match and trying to give him tips, he was unable to concentrate as fully as he had wanted. In the end, she was the only one who had made any progress, making her match shiny and pointy.

After chasing Peeves (who was waiting for him down the corridor from Transfiguration), eating lunch, chasing Peeves again, and receiving another detention from Filch, Ranma went to Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was a disappointment by every meaning of the word. Besides being very jumpy and incomprehensible due to his terrible stutter, Professor Quirrell seemed frightened of the very subject he taught. Besides that, he made claims about defeating a zombie but could not (or would not) actually explain how he had done it. Most of the students thought he was a joke, especially with his ridiculous looking turban, and Ranma tended to agree, though he could not shake the feeling that there was more to Quirrell than he let on.

Detention with Filch was terrible, but only because the man would not stop calling for Mrs. Norris in a horrible sing-song voice that made fingernails scratching a blackboard sound like Mozart. Filch insisted on "hard, bone-breaking work" and the task he set for Ranma, scrubbing the prefects' bathroom, might have made a normal student shudder, but Ranma secretly thought he had gotten off very lightly. He was very much his father's son, though, and knew how to pretend to work hard. When Filch finally let him go at nine, he made sure to act as if his arms were going to fall off. After leaving the caretaker's sight, he immediately slipped off to the south tower to get in an hour or so of training before heading back to the dormitory.

"What's that, three detentions in the first week?" Harry said to Ranma at breakfast on Friday.

"Four. I've got one tonight." Ranma grumbled as he piled more eggs, toast, and sausages onto his plate.

"Blimey, that might be a record." Ron said, grinning.

"Not quite, _Ronniekins_." said Fred, cuffing his brother on the neck as he passed by. "George and I've got the record at five."

"Shove off, you show offs." Ron said irritably, swiping at his brother, who laughed as he moved down the table.

"What have we got today?" asked Harry as he poured sugar on his porridge.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins." said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin. They say he always favors them – we'll be able to see if it's true."

"Wish McGonagall favored us." said Harry. Ranma and Ron nodded in agreement. Though she was their Head of House, she did not feel compelled to go easy on them and had assigned a mountain of homework the previous day.

The flapping of wings signaled the arrival of the post as owls streamed into the Great Hall. Ranma was delighted to see the dark form of Ryouko among them. She swooped down and landed perfectly between a jug of pumpkin juice and a plate of toast. "Hey there, girl, how was the flight?" Ranma asked, stroking the bird's head. Ryouko clicked her beak and ruffled her feathers. "Oh, well I'm sorry. Here, have some bacon and pumpkin juice before you set off again." Ranma took the note from her ankle and began reading it.

"From your mum?" asked Dean, who had just joined the table.

"Yeah, wants a long letter back about my first week. I'm surprised she waited so long to write, actually." Ranma replied. "Say there, Harry, you got a letter! Who's it from?"

Harry folded the letter up and put it in his bag. "Hagrid. He's invited me down for tea this afternoon." He pulled out a piece of parchment, wrote on it, and gave it to his snowy owl, Hedwig, who promptly flew off.

"Cool. Tell him I said hi." Ranma said, standing up and grabbing his bag.

"You know Hagrid already?" asked Harry with surprise.

"Oh yeah, talk to him every morning." Ranma said. "Look, I'm going to class early, in case Peeves decides to have a go at me. I have a feeling I don't want to be late to Snape's class."

Twenty minutes later, Ranma sprinted into the dungeon with his robes soaked and an angry look on his face. He dropped into the vacant stool next to Hermione and pulled out his book, parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink. "Stupid poltergeist." he said quietly as he wrung out his pigtail.

"I keep telling you-" Hermione whispered, but he cut her off.

"I know, ignore him. That's easy for you to say, you're not wet and freezing right now." Ranma snapped. "Now I've got another stupid detention."

Hermione was about to respond but stopped short as Professor Snape strode into the classroom, closing the door with a flick of his wand. "Settle down." he said unnecessarily, for everyone had gone quiet the moment he had entered. He was dressed much as he had been at the Welcoming Feast and looked unpleasant. His black eyes gleamed with disdain as they passed over the Gryffindors. Ranma could almost feel the general disdain the teacher had for them and the apprehension of his fellow students towards the man. His first reaction to the man was one of instinctive dislike.

Snape began calling the class roll. He paused when he reached Harry's name. "Ah yes. Harry Potter, our new – _celebrity_." He emphasized the last word as if it were the harshest insult. Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy snickered but stopped quickly when Ranma shot them an ugly look. Out of the corner of his eye, Ranma could see Harry shift uncomfortably. Snape paused again at Ranma's name, sending a penetrating gaze at him momentarily, which Ranma returned defiantly. Ranma's feeling of dislike for the man was growing.

The roll complete, Snape addressed the class. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making." he said, speaking in barely a whisper but clearly audible to the still and silent students. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses...I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

The class remained silent. Ranma had found most of this speech interesting, given his previous exposure to and interest in potion making, but the last bit, the unapologetic insulting of his students, did not sit well with him. In the previous seven years, he had met and studied under quite a few martial arts instructors that, despite their brilliance, were more known for their terrible attitudes and tendency to insult their students than their prowess. He had hated every one of them and had savored the moment when he had mastered their skills and defeated them. Snape seemed to have been made from a similar mold. If that were true, Ranma knew that they would be at odds, because he hated bullies.

Hermione, meanwhile, was on the edge of her seat, apparently intent on proving she was not a dunderhead. Ranma, on the other hand, folded his arms and looked warily at the teacher. Snape, however, was looking at only one person.

"Potter!" he said suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Ranma turned to look at Harry, who wore the look of a deer in headlights. Hermione's hand had shot up, however, and she was bouncing in her seat and waving the hand. Ranma searched his mind for a moment before recalling a potion he had read about an extremely powerful sleeping potion. "I don't know, sir." said Harry.

Snape's lip curled. "Tut tut – fame clearly isn't everything." he said, ignoring Hermione. The Slytherins snickered but Snape appeared not to notice. "Let's try again, Potter. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Again, Harry looked stumped while Hermione frantically waved her hand. Ranma vaguely recalled a mention of goats in one of his potions books. "I don't know, sir." Harry repeated.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" Snape said scornfully. He was clearly enjoying embarrassing Harry. Ranma narrowed his eyes at the man. His dislike for the man had multiplied by ten.

"What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape asked, seeming to relish every word. At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the ceiling. Ranma knew this one immediately. He turned to look at Harry, wanting to answer the question just to stop Snape's bullying. Harry did not seem beaten down, only slightly confused and defiant.

"I don't know, _sir._" he replied with quiet finality. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

A few Gryffindors laughed. Ranma grinned and nodded in approval at Harry before turning back to see how or if Snape would retaliate. "Sit down." he snapped at Hermione, who immediately dropped into her seat. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of the Living Death. A bezoar is a stone from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

There was a sudden shuffle as the class retrieved parchment and quills from their bags. Over the noise, Snape said, "And a point will be taken from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter." The Gryffindors barely checked their outrage before it became louder than the shuffling of papers. Ranma had to literally bite his tongue to keep from protesting. He knew Snape was just waiting for someone, anyone to say one word in protest, and giving him what he wanted was the last thing on Ranma's mind. While the others scratched out what Snape had said, Ranma remained slouched back in his seat with his arms crossed, glaring at the teacher and hoping he would walk by and say something. Snape seemed to feel the gaze on his back and, turning around, locked eyes with Ranma.

"Did I not tell you to write, Saotome?" he sneered as he walked up to the table.

Ranma shrugged nonchalantly but kept his eyes firmly on Snape's. "Those definitions are in the book. No need to write them down."

To Ranma's satisfaction, Snape's eyes lit with anger. "Another point from Gryffindor. You will do as instructed, Saotome. Now pick up your quill."

Ranma smirked to himself. He shrugged again, knowing that it would anger the teacher more, and picked up his quill. As Snape stalked back to the blackboard, Ranma wrote "Powdered Asphodel, Infusion of Wormwood, Bezoar, Monkshood, Wolfsbane: see book"

Snape put the class into pairs (Ranma paired with Hermione) and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs. Like so many other bullying teachers Ranma had known, Snape took great pleasure in criticizing nearly everyone. Ranma made sure that, when Snape passed by them, he could find nothing wrong with their preparation or methods. It helped that Hermione's knowledge of the potions book was matched by her ability to brew potions. Snape merely looked at their cauldron and walked away without saying anything.

Malfoy, on the other hand, received praise for the slightest thing. Snape was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. "Oh no, poor Neville." Hermione said, sounding concerned. Ranma turned to see Neville drenched in the remains of his potion, moaning in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his body. Seamus's cauldron was a twisted blob of pewter that seeped potion across the floor, sending everyone scrambling onto their stools.

"Idiot boy!" Snape snarled, clearing the mess away with a wave of his wand. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron from the fire?"

Neville whimpered as boils erupted on his face. "Take him to the hospital wing." Snape spat at Seamus before rounding on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville. "You – Potter – why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor."

Harry opened his mouth to argue but stopped short, looking livid. Ranma, however, did not hesitate to speak up.

"That's not fair! It's not _his_ job to walk around and make sure people don't get hurt!" Ranma said, a note of accusation in his voice. The entire class held their breath, looking at Snape to see his reaction. Snape's eyes flashed with anger but his face became strangely cold and stony.

"Another point from Gryffindor. Do _not_ question the punishments I hand out, Saotome." he said dangerously.

"Try being fair about it then." Ranma sneered. Snape's face became even colder and his eyes widened slightly with surprise.

Snape's lip curled. "Detention, Saotome. I won't tolerate your cheek." he said, sounding triumphant.

Hermione kicked Ranma's leg and whispered "Stop!" She need not have bothered, however. To everyone's surprise, Ranma smirked sardonically and shrugged his shoulders at Snape, then proceeded to act as if the man were not there. This seemed to anger him even more, for a red tinge had risen in the man's sallow cheeks. Snape swept away, missing the nods of approval and thumbs-up the other Gryffindors were directing at Ranma.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Hermione hissed, looking around to see if Snape was in earshot. "You're going to lose all the points I got for knowing about hovering charms!"

"It was worth it, trust me." Ranma whispered back as he stirred their cauldron.

They ascended from the dungeons an hour later, the mocking voices of the Slytherins at their backs wishing Ranma a good detention. He barely heard them for the voices of his fellow Gryffindors, some of whom were giving him kudos for facing down Snape, even if he did seem to come out worse from the confrontation. "Thanks back there." Harry said.

"Don't mention it. I can't stand by and watch someone get bullied." Ranma said. "I get the feeling not many people stand up to him."

"He does control our grades and can give us detention and take points." said Hermione, who seemed to have been itching to chastise him. "You lost two points and got a detention. What'll it be next time?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll see what McGonagall has to say, after I tell her what happened." said Ranma. "The man's being unfair and he'll just keep being unfair unless we complain to someone who he can't push around." Ranma also thought that beating up Snape was an option, but kept that opinion to himself.

Harry still seemed particularly down spirited. "Cheer up, Harry, Snape's always taking points off Fred and George." said Ron. "Harry, can I come and meet Hagrid with you?"

"Sure." Harry said, looking a little bit more cheerful. "How about you, Ranma?"

"I would, but Filch has me for detention." Ranma replied with false excitement.

"Oh, all right. We'll see you later then." said Harry.

As they headed out the front door, Ranma suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, Ron," he called after them, "tell your brothers that I beat their record."

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 7: The Midnight Duel and The Quidditch Trials**

There are only **9** chapters remaining in Book 1...

Author's Notes:

Another two weeks pass and another chapter is finished. I like this pace and hopefully I can keep it up. If I do, you can expect another chapter around Christmas, which means this story will really pick up once the new year begins. A bit of mental math puts this first book at finishing in April, barring any difficulties.

Enough back-patting; on to some Q&A. Everyone who is correcting my incorrect honorific: sorry, I was borrowing something I'd heard in an anime somewhere. Someone give me the correct way to say "young master" and I'll change it. Yes, McGonagall caught a slight whiff of the catsbane; thanks to her animagus form her nose is a bit more sensitive than most people's. Regarding Ranma's lie about the curse, it's actually pretty easy for him to get away with the lie. There's barely much difference (in looks) between 11 year old boy Ranma and 11 year old girl Ranma besides a bit of height and hair color. Of course, in a couple years that won't be the case. Also, Nodoka did not have time to fix or stabilize his curse. However, the curse is somewhat different than you might expect, due in large part to the fact that Ranma is a wizard. To wit, Ranma is unconsciously counteracting his water magnetism, much as Harry used magic to fix his hair after getting it hacked off. This is a powerful, ancient curse, however, so Ranma's magic can't necessarily protect him all the time. It would be no fun if I cured him so soon!

As always, thanks to all the people who've read (10000 hits, w00t!). Thanks to the commentors, I hope you find lots to comment on this time. Special thanks to Kim and Ed, who both listen to me when I ramble on about this story and give me advice about drafts before I put them out.

Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section


	7. The Midnight Duel

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: Please note that this chapter contains excerpts from and is inspired by Chapter 9 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits). If you're keeping score, it also has the same title as that chapter.

**Chapter 7: The Midnight Duel**

Professor McGonagall had a reputation for being strict but fair, a point which Ranma had not properly contemplated before heading to her office early Saturday morning.

"You're very fortunate that I am running late, Mr. Saotome. I trust this is something that cannot wait until Monday?" she said after opening her office door.

"I think so, Professor" he replied.

"Very well, come in and sit down." She opened the door and ushered him inside. The office was as spartan as a teacher's office could be. There was a full bookcase, a full size fireplace, and several filing cabinets. The desk was impeccably neat, everything laid out in order; the only thing out of place was a biscuit tin. Two straight-backed wooden chairs sat in front of the desk and a similar one was behind it. She gestured for him to take a seat before sitting behind the desk. "Now, what can I do for you, Mr. Saotome?"

"It's about Professor Snape..." he began. McGonagall did not seem overly surprised. "I wanted to tell you about what happened in his class yesterday and see if you could do something about it."

She leaned back in her chair and steepled her hands. "Very well. Proceed."

"Well...he, Professor Snape, singled Harry out. He was being insulting and he took two points from Harry for no reason. He also blamed Harry when Neville had an accident. When I tried to protest, he took a point and gave me detention." said Ranma. "He's being unfair and being a bully."

McGonagall did not answer for a few moments. "That is not the story as I've had it." she said simply. Ranma started to protest but she held her hand up to stop him. "However, you are not the only person who has ever complained about Professor Snape, so I am inclined to take what you've said as mostly true. Now what exactly did you want me to do?"

This stumped Ranma. He had thought that McGonagall would know what to do. "I-I thought you might give us the points back and erase the detention."

"The detention will stand, Mr. Saotome. I do not have the authority to tell Professor Snape otherwise, nor would I if I did. The detention, as I understand it, was for your rudeness to Professor Snape, for which you would receive the same punishment from myself. Likewise, you and Mr. Potter lost points for your cheek, which I will not challenge." she paused. Ranma looked crestfallen. "However, I will talk to Professor Snape about your concerns. Also, the point Potter lost for Longbottom's accident and the point you lost for protesting will be returned to Gryffindor."

"Thanks Professor." Ranma breathed a sigh of relief as he rose to leave. It was not the outcome he had hoped for but he did manage to undo some of the damage Snape had done. His relief was short-lived, however.

"Please remain seated. I would like a word with you." Ranma sank back into the chair, feeling apprehensive. "I had intended to wait until Monday but now is as good a time as any. Can you explain to me why I have had to sign off on five detention forms for you from Mr. Filch?"

"Err..." Ranma said, his mind racing. "That wasn't my fault, Peeves keeps following me around and trying to hit me with water."

"I am well aware of Peeves' actions toward you. However, that does not explain why you chose to chase him about the castle."

"I was just trying to make him stop..."

"And in the process managed to cause quite a bit of trouble for Mr. Filch. Now, I understand your sensitivity about your curse-"

"You know about my curse?" said Ranma, sounding alarmed.

"Of course I do, the entire faculty knows." she replied, sounding impatient. Ranma felt a mixture of surprise and horror. "As I was saying, while I understand your sensitivity about your curse, that is no excuse for receiving six detentions in the first week of classes. I try to impress upon every Gryffindor that your actions reflect upon the house, even those that do not subtract from the house points. I expect nothing but the best out of every Gryffindor and, contrary to what Fred or George Weasley may tell you, attempting to set a record for detentions served in a week does not constitute 'the best' in any way."

She was finally at her point. "Since you are a new student and new to the ways of this school, I will not punish you for these infractions. However," she looked sternly at him, "if I receive any more detention forms with your name on them, I will add one of my own to them."

"But Professor!" Ranma protested, feeling this was very unfair. "What am I supposed to do about Peeves?"

"Surely you've realized that you are only egging Peeves on." She paused momentarily. "As long as you are a source of trouble and amusement, Peeves will continue to harass you. I suggest that you learn to ignore him. If he continues to be a problem, I will have the Bloody Baron talk to him. Now, Mr. Saotome, I have a busy day, as do you. Good day to you." Ranma stood and mumbled a half-hearted 'thanks' before exiting the office.

Between Filch and Snape, Ranma was busy almost the entire day Saturday. Filch was easy enough to stand, thanks to four previous days of learning to ignore the wheezing old man. Snape was another story altogether. It had seemed more like a stand-off than a detention, as they both sized each other up. To his credit, Ranma managed to keep his tongue in check as he disemboweled pickled toads and squeezed bat eyes. He knew well enough that Snape would try to bait him into another detention and the last thing Ranma wanted was to give him what he wanted. Instead, knowing that the best way to annoy the man would be to act as if everything he did was beneath noticing, Ranma would let Snape talk for minutes on end before looking up and asking "Sorry, did you say something?" Eventually, Snape stalked off to do something other than "babysitting an insolent little boy."

He awoke on Monday morning feeling that the weekend had been far too short. His entire Sunday had been spent catching up on homework and writing to his mother about the first week. He could definitely see the benefit of not having detentions tying up his evenings and weekends, even if it meant letting Peeves douse him with water after every class. Fortunately that would not be a problem, as Peeves had taken to avoiding him, thanks to the intervention of the Bloody Baron. With this wonderful thought in mind, he headed out of the castle for his morning practice.

Two hours later, he dropped onto the bench next to Ron in the Great Hall. "Hey Ron, Harry. What's everyone so excited about?" he asked absently as he filled his plate.

"Didn't you see the sign?" asked Harry. Ranma shook his head.

"We've got flying lessons on Thursday." said Ron.

Ranma's eyes lit up. "Cool! I've been wanting to try that."

"Only problem is it's with the Slytherins." Harry said, sounding slightly apprehensive. "Last thing I want is to make a fool of myself in front of them."

"Who cares?" said Ranma. "It'll be fun. I bet we'll be the best fliers in the class."

"Yeah, that'll show Malfoy. He's always going on about how great he is on a broom, I bet he's first to fall off." Ron said, snickering.

The rest of the week was dominated by talk of flying and, by extension, Quidditch. Those who had grown up in the wizarding world were keen to tout their flying experience. To hear Seamus tell it, he had spent his childhood zooming about the Irish countryside. Even Ron would tell anyone who asked about the time he almost hit a Muggle hand-glider. But no one could top Draco Malfoy, who constantly told a thrilling tale that ended with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. Ranma was not sure if this was true, but it seemed that Malfoy did not speak one word that week that did not involve his story.

Neville and Hermione were the most nervous about their lesson, and for entirely different reasons. Despite growing up in the wizarding world like Ron and Seamus, Neville had never so much as handled a broom. His grandmother had never let him near one, a policy that Ranma and the other Gryffindors silently agreed with. Neville managed to have plenty of accidents with his feet firmly on the ground and Ranma could not envision the boy flying without having one as well. Hermione, on the other hand, was suddenly faced with something that could not be learned just from reading a book. Of course, that did not stop her from checking out every book that had the slightest mention of flying on a broom. She had taken to reciting tips from the books to anyone who would listen, though the only ones who would stick around were usually Neville, who seemed to desperate for anything that would help him hang onto his broom, and Ranma, who figured he would humor her through her nerves. He was, however, relieved to see the post owls on Thursday morning as they interrupted another round of Hermione's nervous recitation.

A barn owl dropped a package in front of Neville, who opened it excitedly. Inside was a glass ball, about the size of a marble, that seemed to be full of white smoke. "What's that, Neville?" Ranma asked.

"It's a Rememberall!" he explained. "Gran knows I forget things – this tells you if you've forgotten to do something. Look, you hold it tight like this, and if it turns red – oh..." The glass ball suddenly glowed bright red as he gripped it. "...you've forgotten something..."

Ranma was not totally surprised. Besides being very accident prone, Neville also had terrible memory. He tried not to laugh as he watched Neville try hard to remember what he had forgotten. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, sauntering by, who wore a cunning look with which Ranma was all too familiar. He pretended not to notice until –

"Let go of me!" Malfoy said with a mixture of surprise and pain. Ranma held the boy's wrist in a vice-like grip that would not budge despite his struggles. Malfoy's hand hovered inches from the Rememberall. "Let go of me, Saotome, or you'll be sorr-augh!"

Ranma applied a little pressure. Harry and Ron looked on with a mixture of satisfaction and amusement. "Keep your hands to yourself, Malfoy." Ranma said with contempt, though he was looking behind Malfoy at Crabbe and Goyle, who seemed ready to make a move.

McGonagall showed her uncanny ability to spot trouble, however, and was there in a flash. "What's going on here?" she asked. Ranma quickly released Malfoy's wrist, again disconcerted that someone could walk up on him without him detecting their presence.

Malfoy opened his mouth to complain but was quickly cut off by the Harry. "Malfoy tried to take Neville's Rememberall, but Ranma stopped him."

McGonagall turned her stern gaze on Malfoy, who seemed to wilt a bit. "I only wanted to look at it." he said, scowling and rubbing his wrist.

"I suggest you ask next time, Mr. Malfoy. Now move along." said McGonagall. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle sloped off, throwing ugly looks back at the Gryffindors and Ranma in particular.

At three-thirty that afternoon, the Gryffindor first years hurried out into the grounds towards a flat lawn opposite to the Forbidden Forest. The Slytherins were already there, along with twenty-one brooms lined up in two rows on the ground. The brooms looked worn and a bit battered; they had obviously seen better days.

Their teacher, Madame Hooch, arrived. She had short, gray hair, and yellow eyes like a hawk. "Well, what are you all waiting for?" she barked at them. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

There was a scramble to get the "best" broom, though Ranma thought there was not much difference between them. His had a warped handle and the brush end was strangely scorched. "Stick out your right hand over the your broom and say 'Up!'" she instructed.

Everyone did as she said, but the results were wildly varying. Ranma's hesitated slightly before jumping into his hand with a solid -slap-. Looking around, he saw that Harry, Seamus, Ron, and Malfoy had also been successful. The everyone else had to repeat themselves several times before it worked. Neville and, oddly, Hermione were the last to have their brooms in hand. Ranma thought that the brooms might have been able to detect confidence, and those two were the least confident about flying.

Madame Hooch next showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, then walked among them, correcting their grips. The Gryffindor boys laughed mockingly (but not too loudly) when she told Malfoy that he had been doing it wrong for years. Madame Hooch did not seem to hear them, though, from the dirty looks coming their way, the Slytherins had.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard." said Madame Hooch. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle – three – two –"

Before the whistle could touch the her lips, Neville pushed off with a hard jerk of his legs. He shot into the air like a very out of control rocket, ascending twenty feet before the boy had realized his mistake. Everyone gasped. "Come back, boy!" Madame Hooch shouted helplessly.

"Don't look down." Ranma muttered to himself, willing Neville to heed him. From the scared, pale expression on the boy's face, Ranma knew that Neville would do just that. He dropped his broom and pushed people out of the way, looking up just in time to see Neville look down, gasp, and slip sideways off the broom.

He seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, but Ranma was no stranger to the feeling; it happened every time he used his real speed. His robes flapped violently in his wake as he covered the distance in a few strides. Two-thirds of the way there, with Neville halfway down, he took a great leap, meeting his target and hooking the boy underneath the arms with his right arm. They landed with a slight thud. Neville tumbled backward out of his grasp, but they were otherwise none the worse for wear.

The Gryffindors exploded with cheering and clapping as the class ran over to them. "All right, Neville?" Ranma asked, holding his hand out to help the boy up. Neville took the hand and returned to his feet, still looking a bit pale and stricken but seeming to recover.

"Thanks Ranma." he said, his voice shaking. "Thought I was done for."

"Don't mention it. It was just nerves, could've happened to anyone." Privately, Ranma thought this was not true, but it seemed to make Neville feel better.

"Are you all right, dear?" Madame Hooch asked, looking as pale as Neville. Neville nodded, shrinking under the gaze of the class. "Good. I think you should sit out until you calm down. I'm afraid you'll have to share a broom with someone. And I think that'll be two points to Gryffindor. Now, back to the brooms!"

They began again while Neville looked on. On Madame Hooch's count, they all kicked off from the ground. The differences in skill with the brooms was apparent immediately, though it was not exactly as Ranma would have predicted. All of the people who had flown before became airborne with complete control, as expected. Others were understandably shaky but managed to stay in control, while Hermione was probably the worst of the lot. Harry was most astonishing, lifting and leveling as well, if not better, than anyone else. As for Ranma, he was as shaky with controlling the broom as most of the class, perhaps more so. Sitting on the broom was uncomfortable and his muscles were nearly spasming trying to keep his body balanced on it. The broom seemed to read the slightest of these motions and amplify them ten-fold, giving the impression that he was being buffeted by high wind.

They repeated this several times until, for the most part, they (including Neville, who alternated with Hermione) could lift off and land without too much trouble. Then, she had them practice flying in a straight line and turning while maintaining their level. Next she instructed them to fly forward while going up and down, as if they were going over a series of hills. After that, they flew in a figure eight while continuing their up and down flying. Ranma found this all very frustrating, especially since he understood the basic principles of flying brooms. It was all fairly simple: leaning forward and back controlled the level of the broom, leaning left and right controlled the roll, pulling up and down controlled the forward movement, and pulling left and right controlled the direction. Understanding this all did not translate into good flying, though. In addition to the shaking, he was having trouble maintaining level flight and pulled too hard when going forward, left, or right. He was not the worst in the class, but he certainly could not zip around as well as Ron, Harry, or even Malfoy, who turned out to be nearly as good as Harry.

Perhaps it was because she was busy supervising the class, but Madame Hooch was strangely deaf to the jeering and mockery that some of the Slytherins, the ones for whom flying was not difficult, were throwing at the less adept among the Gryffindors. Malfoy and Goyle (Crabbe was, like Ranma, having difficulty flying) took distinct pleasure in jeering Ranma. Normally Ranma easily ignored taunting, but the combination of taunts and his own frustration made him very angry.

"Ignore them." Hermione intoned near him, her voice sounding very preoccupied due to her intense concentration. "Just ignore – eek!" She shrieked as she lost control for a moment, causing her broom to dip sharply, and Ranma could not help but laugh. "Th-that's not funny. These things are hard to control." she said shakily.

A short whistle burst caught everyone's attention. "All right, come down everyone." said Madame Hooch. "That's all for the basic lesson. Now some of you need a bit of extra help, so stay here and I'll give you some pointers. The rest of you may fly freely, but you are not to leave this lawn. And there will be no rough housing, understood, or your heads of house will hear of it."

Neville, Hermione, and several others stayed on the ground while the rest of the class returned to the air. Ranma was still debating whether to stay for Madame Hooch's help when a burst of unpleasant laughter caught his attention. Looking up, he saw everyone was hovering near each other, separated by their houses and facing each other confrontationaly. Malfoy was clearly the leader here, and he was tossing a small, shiny object in the air while saying something to Harry. Ranma had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what that object was. "Neville, have you still got that Rememberall?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the brewing confrontation above.

"Yeah, its right..." Neville began, rifling through his pockets, but trailed off. "Oh no, I've lost it!"

"It probably fell out of your pocket earlier. I think I know where it is though." he said, his mind made up. He could get extra lessons later.

Ranma kicked off from the ground, rising more steadily than previously, though he was still a bit shaky. Closing in on the Gryffindor side, he could feel the tension between the sides and knew that his arrival would not make things any better. Ahead, Harry was focused on Malfoy, who continued to toss the Rememberall around and smirk haughtily. The other Gryffindors seemed to gain confidence that, with Ranma's arrival, the sides were even.

"Give that here, Malfoy, or I'll knock you off that broom!" Harry was saying angrily as Ranma pulled up behind him.

Malfoy looked supremely unconcerned, perhaps because the other Slytherins were closing ranks. Crabbe and Goyle edged closer to him, like bodyguards. "I don't think I want to part with my new toy. But since you're so keen on having me embarrass you, come and get it if you can, Potter." he spat malevolently.

Everyone tensed themselves with anticipation now that the gauntlet had been thrown down. Ranma glanced around at his house mates, feeling, for the first time, fully confident that he had been sorted into the right house. Fierce determination and courage burned brightly in each set of eyes that looked back at him and, in his heart, he felt stirrings of loyalty and pride for them. He and Ron exchanged understanding looks for a split second, and Ranma knew that, whenever Harry decided to take off after Malfoy, Ron would head off Goyle while he dealt with Crabbe. Harry, however, was completely oblivious to everyone but Malfoy.

As if triggered by some unseen and unheard signal, the two sides were joined. Malfoy shot up and retreated quickly away from the front, his house mates forming a solid wall. Harry seemed not to notice, diving beneath the Slytherins effortlessly. Before they could recover, the Gryffindors were bearing down on them. The Slytherins scattered and each of the Gryffindors peeled off after their mark. Crabbe and Goyle, predictably, took off after Harry and Malfoy, but Ron and Ranma were hot on their tails. Ranma tried to ignore the jittering, erratic behavior he inspired in his broom as he raced after Crabbe, thankful that the boy seemed to be a bit worse than he was at flying.

They approached the edge of the lawn, where Malfoy and Harry had stopped. Ranma wondered why until Malfoy drew back his arm and flung the Rememberall as hard as he could over Harry's head. Harry immediately chased after it, but the aim was true and it found it's target, Goyle. Ron and Harry were now pouring on speed to him while the rest of the Gryffindors and Slytherins converged on the area. Ranma glanced around and noticed that Dean was not with them.

Goyle threw the ball just as Ron and Harry reached him. Harry expertly turned and rocketed after the ball while Ron sideswiped Goyle. Ranma pushed down on the broom to accelerate but, instead of going faster, he was slowing down. The reason for this odd behavior quickly became apparent: Crabbe was pulling on the end of his broom. The boy was out of his reach and he did not trust taking both hands off the broom, so Ranma did the best thing he could think of; he kicked hard at the tip of Crabbe's broom. Crabbe went spinning away wildly, leaving Ranma to resume the chase.

The flying became more heated as those still in the air jockeyed for position. On the Gryffindor side, only Ranma, Ron, and Harry remained, while Malfoy, Goyle, Blaise Zabini, and Milicent Bulstrode represented Slytherin. The four had put space between themselves and were playing "keep away" with the Rememberall. Harry came very close to catching it several times. "It's just _barely_ out of my reach." Harry said while they huddled together in the middle of the four Slytherins. He looked angry and frustrated.

"Harry, I've got an idea that might give you room to get it." Ron said quickly. "You mark whoever's got the ball, then be ready to chase it. We'll distract the other two."

Harry nodded and flew off. "Ranma, we're going to force them to make a long throw. We'll stay on the closest two people. As soon as they throw, we'll rush the catcher. Harry should get it easy." Ranma nodded and flew off to mark Bulstrode while Ron hovered near Zabini.

Ranma heard a whistle blow, but he also saw the glint of sunlight off the spinning Rememberall, and, remembering the plan, he hurtled after Goyle. A glance in his periphery showed Ron and Harry converging on the same point, only going much faster. Because he was closer, however, Ranma would reach Goyle first. To his credit, Goyle stood his ground, possibly because he was too slow to realize three people were on a collision course with him. When he did realize this, it was far too late. Ranma sideswiped him, kicking the broom handle and sending him spinning. As Ranma pulled around to admire his handiwork, the Rememberall sailed over Goyle's head and plummeted towards the ground.

The next few moments were a blur in Ranma's mind. Harry dove after the glass ball fearlessly. Ron, Zabini, and Malfoy followed, but they could not match Harry's speed. He was closing the gap with the ball as the ground loomed ever closer. Twenty feet, ten feet, five feet – Harry grasped the Rememberall tightly with his outstretched hand and pulled up on the broom handle with only a foot to spare. Ranma let out a gasp, as did nearly everyone else, but Harry toppled forward gently onto the grass, the Rememberall clutched safely in his fist.

Ranma expected to hear cheering, but only a whistle and the alarmed voice of Madame Hooch was audible. "HARRY POTTER!" she said as she rushed over to him. "What on earth – you could have been killed!"

She was distracted from her scolding by the sounds of the others returning to the ground. "And the rest of you – I said _no_ rough-housing! Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape will hear about this, you can be sure of that, and twenty-five points – "

"But professor, we were just playing quadpot." Ranma blurted out. Thinking quickly, he continued. "You know, the American version of quidditch."

She looked at him sharply. "Were you now? And that is supposed to explain why you were all trying to tackle one another in mid-air?"

Ranma's mind scrambled again. He had guessed correctly that she did not know much about quadpot, but neither did he. "We weren't tackling, we were trying to tag each other, but being this is the first time we've played, we're not very good at it."

Madame Hooch looked at him suspiciously before surveying the class. "I see. Is this true?" she asked them. While she did so, Ranma mouthed at them "Just say yes." As no one wanted to lose twenty-five points, they all nodded vigorously. "Very well then, I'll overlook it this time. But none of you are to play this 'quadpot' again, or I _will_ take points."

Ranma sighed with relief and silently thanked his father, who had trained him to lie convincingly from an early age. Ranma was about to join the other Gryffindors in congratulating Harry on his amazing catch, but Madame Hooch gave them pause when she returned to Harry. "As for you, Mr. Potter, you will follow me."

"But – ". he said, but she cut him off.

"But nothing. Professor McGonagall will hear about this." She turned on her heel and swept back up to the castle while he followed close behind, looking stricken.

The Gryffindors went from triumphant to worried. "Potter's finished!" Malfoy said with great satisfaction. The other Slytherins laughed appreciatively and overly loud, trying to bait Ranma and the others, but they were so worried that they ignored the taunting laughter.

"You reckon he's in trouble?" asked Dean quietly as the class walked back to the castle.

"I wouldn't be surprised, that was really reckless." Hermione said, sounding irritated.

"Yeah, but it was bloody brilliant!" Ron said excitedly. "Never seen a dive like that except in quidditch."

"I just can't believe it's his first time flying." Ranma said appreciatively.

"Some people are naturals. Then again," Ron said, jerking his thumb unobtrusively at Hermione. "some aren't."

They did not see Harry again until halfway through dinner, when he quietly fell into the seat next to Ron. "Harry! You're not expelled, are you?" Ron asked, concern in his voice. Everyone sitting nearby went very quiet.

"No, they're letting me stay." Harry replied as he reached for potatoes. "I didn't even get detention."

"But Madame Hooch took you away – " Ranma said.

"Yeah, I know." Harry replied. He looked around before leaning in close and lowering his voice. "She took me to see McGonagall."

There was a pause before both Ranma and Ron said "AND?"

Harry looked left and right again before continuing in a conspiratorial tone. "And we talked about quidditch."

"Quidditch...why?" said Ranma.

"Madame Hooch told McGonagall what happened. Actually, it sounded more like play-by-play, now I think about it." said Harry. "Anyway, McGonagall seemed like she might get angry, but when Madame Hooch finished, she seemed really happy. She thanked Madame Hooch, then dragged me off to Flitwick's class to get a fifth year named Oliver Wood."

"Wood? Isn't he the Gryffindor quidditch captain?" said Ron.

"Yeah. So she tells him about me catching Neville's Rememberall and..." Harry's face cracked into a grin. "they decided to make me the Gryffindor seeker!"

"You're _joking_." said Ron, his fork halfway to his mouth, a piece of his steak and kidney pie forgotten. "_Seeker?_ But first years _never_ – you must be the youngest house player in about – "

" – a century. Wood told me." said Harry, who began digging into his own pie.

Ron was so amazed that he could only gape. Ranma was equally floored, more so because Harry escaped without so much as a detention. It seemed a bit unfair to him, but he thought he may have been biased due to all the detention he had already served. "I start training next week." said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it secret."

"So, what, you don't have to go to the quidditch trials?" asked Ranma. Harry did not have time to answer because, at that moment, Fred and George Weasley stopped behind them.

"Well done, Harry." George said in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too – Beaters."

"I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year." said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us."

"It sounds like the team is already set. Isn't Wood going to have trials?" asked Ranma.

George shrugged. "We only have trials if anyone signs up with McGonagall. I don't think anyone has so far though."

"Yeah, but people are always turning in their names late, so we might. I hope not though, I'd fancy a couple more free weekends before Wood has us out training." said Fred.

"Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school."

"Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you."

Ranma was only half-listening because a half-formed notion was in his head. The talk of quidditch and Harry winning a spot on the team had him thinking more seriously about quidditch. He was, after all, the most athletic person at the school, in his estimation, so surely he ought to have _some_ chance at being on a sporting team. Then again, his first flying experience was not all that great, nor was he particularly knowledgeable of the game. Not that lack of knowledge ever stopped Ranma from taking on a challenge.

Further musing on the subject was interrupted by a drawling voice that was beginning to grate on Ranma. "Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" said Malfoy. Ranma did not have to look up to know that Crabbe and Goyle were at his side.

"You're very brave when you've got your little friends with you." Harry replied coolly. Crabbe and Goyle growled and cracked their knuckles but could do nothing in front of the teachers. Instead of looking intimidating, they looked very comical, and Ranma laughed mockingly at them.

"And what are _you_ laughing at, chinaboy?" Malfoy threw at him.

Ranma bristled. "From the looks of you three, three sacks of rubbish." he said scornfully.

"Did you want something, Malfoy? Or did you want to show us how well you can hide behind others?" Ron said disdainfully.

"You shouldn't bother, we saw that well enough earlier." said Harry. Ron and Ranma laughed appreciatively.

"I'd take you on anytime on my own, Potter." said Malfoy, his pale face flushing slightly. "Tonight, wizard's duel, me and you. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before?"

"Of course he has," said Ron. "I'm his second, who's yours?"

Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up. "Crabbe, and Saotome can be your reserve, Goyle will be mine." he said. "Midnight, in the trophy room, it's always unlocked."

When Malfoy and his cronies had moved on, Harry looked at Ranma and Ron. "What _is_ a wizard's duel?" he asked. "And what's a second?"

"Well, a second is there to take over if you die." said Ron, getting back to his dinner. Harry had a look of horror on his face and Ranma could not help but laugh. "People only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards." Ron added quickly. "The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage."

"I wouldn't underestimate what Malfoy might know." Ranma said sagely. "We didn't think he would be much of a flier either."

This did not seem to make Harry feel any better. "So what do I do if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" he asked.

"Throw it away and punch him in the nose." Ron suggested.

"Duck and hide until you can find something to throw at him." Ranma volunteered.

"Excuse me."

They all looked up to see Hermione, who had a disapproving look on her face. "What's up, Hermione?" asked Ranma, though he had a shrewd idea what she wanted.

"I couldn't help overhearing what you all were saying." she said.

"Bet you could." Ron muttered. Ranma stifled a chortle.

" – and you mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you."

"And it's really none of your business." said Harry.

"Good-bye." said Ron.

Harry and Ron were not friends with Hermione, so they were spared the non-stop nagging that Ranma was forced to endure. She sat next to him in the common room while they were doing homework, imploring him to talk Harry and Ron out of the duel. Ranma was a patient person, but Hermione was uncommonly skilled at henpecking. Finally, he could not take any more. "Look Hermione, it's a matter of honor. I _can't_ back out now." he said.

"Why not? Is your honor worth getting expelled?"

"Yeah. Yeah it is. Saotomes don't turn down challenges." Ranma said, closing his potions book and getting up from the table. "I'm going to bed."

After telling Harry and Ron to wake him when they were ready to go, Ranma meditated briefly before dropping into a dreamless, restful nap. Hardly five minutes seemed to have passed before he felt Harry shake his shoulder. "It's time." he whispered. Ranma nodded and got up quickly. He could feel the tingle of adrenaline, but it was not because he was anticipating the duel. Freya, whom he had told about the duel, had assured him that the duel would probably be hardly more than wand sparks and smoke, though that did not stop him from asking for advice. No, he was excited because there was a good chance that Filch, who seemed to never sleep, would catch one of them. That Harry would have a chance to shut Malfoy up was just icing on the cake.

Harry and Ron pulled on their bathrobes (Ranma had slept in his most comfortable fighting attire), then Ranma followed them down the spiral staircase and into the Gryffindor common room. The fire was nothing but glowing coals whose faint light barely illuminated the room's furniture. They had not taken more than a few steps from the staircase when Ranma threw out his arm to stop Ron and Harry. "What is it?" Ron whispered.

"Someone's down here." he whispered back. He did not bother straining his eyes; he could hear the person quite clearly and sense their magical aura. Ranma had a good idea of who was waiting for them. "Hermione, I know it's you."

There was a sharp intake of breath and then a lamp flickered on, revealing Hermione, who was wearing a pink bathrobe. She looked momentarily astonished, then, as if suddenly remembering her purpose, frowned disapprovingly at them.

"_You!_" said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!"

"I almost told your brother." she snapped. "He's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this."

"Come on." Ron said, pushing open the portrait and climbing out.

"Hermione, go back to bed." Ranma said wearily. Her interfering nature was wearing on him like sandpaper. "You're not going to change our minds."

If he thought this would deter Hermione, Ranma was sadly mistaken. She followed them out, whispering quickly. "You three are so selfish! Don't you care about Gryffindor? If you go out you're bound to get caught and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about switching spells."

"Oh, is that what you were worried about, _your_ points?" Ron said crossly.

"Yes – no! I just don't want Slytherin to win the house cup!" she hissed indignantly.

"Neither do we, nor do we want people to think we run away from challenges." said Harry. "I may not know all the stuff you know, but I know Gryffindors don't do _that_."

"Yeah, what Harry said. Now go away." Ron said dismissively.

"Fine, but remember I that warned you when you're on the train back, you're so – oh no."

Ranma turned quickly to see what was the problem. The Fat Lady's painting was empty, which meant that Hermione could not get back in until she returned. "Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly.

"That's your problem." said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late."

"You're not leaving me here to get caught by Filch." she said bossily. "I'm coming with you. If he finds us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up."

"You've got some nerve – " Ron said, his voice rising.

"Will you two be quiet! You'll wake the whole castle." Harry hissed.

"Ron, we can't stand here arguing all night. Just let her come along." Ranma said impatiently.

"Fine." Ron grumbled, stalking off down the corridor. The other three followed close behind. Ranma hung back with Hermione

"Was all that necessary?" he said quietly.

"What? I'm right and you know it." she said.

"Yeah, maybe, but that doesn't give you the right to interfere." Hermione opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Harry, who shushed them and beckoned them forward.

They stole quickly through the moonlit corridors. The other three were on edge, likely expecting Filch, but Ranma neither felt the man's ki nor heard any movement besides their own. They stopped outside the trophy room and peered inside before entering. Ranma led them along the wall, not wanting to be caught in the open if Malfoy decided to attack without warning. They waited, Harry's wand drawn and Ranma alert for any magical energy, as the minutes ticked by.

"He's late, may – " Ron began.

"Shh!" Ranma cut him off abruptly. He had heard movement for the last minute but, the closer it came to the trophy room, the more certain he was that it was not Malfoy. There was only one person in the castle who could make noise like three eleven year olds and had no magical aura. He silently cursed his the weakness of his magic sensing. "Filch!" he whispered as quietly as possible.

"Blasted cat getting sick when I need her most." they heard Filch say as they crept along the wall towards the door and away from him. Ranma had barely turned the corner as Filch entered the room. "I know they're hiding in here somewhere."

Harry led them as they crept down a long gallery of suits of armor, a hall that Ranma was somewhat familiar with thanks to Peeves. They moved along in petrified silence, staying in the shadows, but Filch was definitely getting nearer and was bound to catch them at the rate they were going. They quickened their pace to a half-run but, instead of helping them get away, this had an unexpected and disastrous consequence. Hermione accidentally kicked Ron's leg out from under him, sending him stumbling headlong into a suit of armor. The sound was like a thousand cymbals clashing.

"RUN!" yelled Harry, not bothering to keep quiet anymore. Ranma needed no encouragement; he grabbed Hermione about the waist with one arm and sped ahead, hoping he was going slowly enough for Ron and Harry to keep up. He let his feet guide him, thinking only of somewhere far from the trophy room. Several corridors, a staircase, and a secret passageway hidden behind a tapestry eventually led them to their Charms classroom and, they hoped, away from Filch.

Ron and Harry leaned against the wall, wheezing and clutching stitches in their sides. Hermione was breathing almost as hard, though she had not run at all. "Don't do that again, Ranma!" she finally said. "I nearly had a heart attack."

"Sorry, but we had to get away." he said, listening hard for anyone approaching. "Anyway, we have to get back to Gryffindor tower as quickly as possible. I think I know a shortcut."

As they started down the corridor, Hermione started in on them. "I told you this would happen. Malfoy tricked you. Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room. Malfoy must've tipped him off." said Hermione in a tone that said "I told you so."

The boys ignored her, though Ranma did not doubt that she was right. He kicked himself for not anticipating treachery from Malfoy. He, of course, knew that trickery was an accepted option in duels, but to use it to not only avoid a fight of honor but also incapacitate the opponent before the duel started was repugnant. "Malfoy's going to pay for this." he said darkly.

Ranma was so preoccupied with this thought that he did not hear a doorknob rattle behind him. He did, however, feel a surge of magical energy that was very familiar and he instinctively rolled out of the way and flattened himself against the wall. Peeves the poltergeist shot out of a classroom and came face to face with Ron, Hermione, and Harry. He gave a squeal of delight at the sight of them.

"Peeves, _please_ be quiet!" Hermione pleaded. "You'll get us thrown out!"

Peeves cackled. "Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Naughty naughty, you'll get caughty!" he said, laughing.

"Not if you don't give us away, Peeves." Harry said, glancing at Ranma.

"Should tell Filch, I should." Peeves said in a saintly voice, but Ranma knew that he was only contemplating mischief. "It's for your own good, you know."

"Get out of the way!" Ron snapped, taking a swipe at Peeves in his irritation. Ranma groaned just as Peeves took a great breath and hoped he could grab the poltergeist before it was too late. He leaped at the poltergeist but Peeves zipped to the side at the last moment. Ranma's hand closed on nothing but air. He looked down at Ranma, grinned maliciously, and began yelling at the top of his lungs.

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED! STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" He took another great breath, but Ranma had had enough. He crouched low and exploded upwards with all his power, and this time Peeves was not fast enough. With a move that would have made Dean Thomas cheer, he flipped backwards once on the way up and once again just underneath Peeves, his left leg swinging forward like a great bat that hit the poltergeist with a loud smack. Peeves went flying down the corridor, cursing with pain. Knowing he had only seconds to spare, Ranma took off after the others, who had sprinted to the end of the corridor.

The corridor ended with a door – a very locked door. Ranma could hear Filch bearing down on them. "We're done for!" moaned Ron, sounding defeated.

"No we're not Ron, move." Ranma pushed him out of the way and prepared to shove the door in with his shoulder.

"No, Ranma!" Hermione hissed as she quickly drew her wand. She tapped the lock and whispered, "Alohamora."

Amazingly, the lock clicked as if the key had been inserted and the door swung open, They scrambled on the other side, slammed the door shut, and pressed against it to listen. "Which way did they go, Peeves?" they heard Filch say between deep breaths. "Quick, tell me."

"Say 'please'."

Ranma lost focus on the conversation because he suddenly noticed a deep, rhythmic rumbling and a warm breeze coming from behind. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end and his ki sense flared. Someone or something very magical and very big was right behind them. He whirled around to confront whatever it was and gaped with horror.

A dog lay on the floor of the corridor they were in. This was no dog like Ranma had ever seen, though. It was easily the size of small bus. On it's muscled shoulders sat three necks that supported three massive heads. Its three noses sniffed the air, then its six red eyes flew open and fell on them. In a horrifically powerful move, it jumped to its feet, bearing its fangs, which dripped long, thick ropes of yellow drool.

Ranma stood dumbstruck for a second, then prodded the others blindly, not taking his eyes off the beast. "_What_, Ranma?" Harry said, sounding annoyed. "Wha – "

Thunderous growls echoed through the corridor and the dog began to sink into a crouch. "The door, Harry." Ranma quietly said more calmly than he felt. "Open the door." There was the sound of Harry fumbling with the latch, then a creak as the door swung wide. The four of them rushed out and Ranma slammed the door shut again, feeling relieved and, oddly enough, slightly disappointed at the sound of the lock clicking. They did not say a word as they ran like mad for Gryffindor tower, heedless of Filch or anyone else that might have been roaming the corridors. They did not stop until they were in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Where have you all been?" she asked, noting their sweaty faces and heavy breath.

"Never mind that, pig snout, pig snout." Harry panted. They scrambled into the common room and everyone but Ranma collapsed into chairs to catch their breath. Ranma, however, was pacing and realizing that this dog was the reason that Dumbledore had warned them about the third floor corridor. Why would they keep such a monster in the castle, though? Something about that encounter was nagging him, something he had overlooked.

"What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that up in a school?" Ron said finally. "If any dog needs exercise, that one does."

"You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" Hermione snapped angrily. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?"

And suddenly, Ranma knew what he had missed. "A trapdoor..." he said, seeing the scene in his mind again. As suddenly as he remembered that fact, he came to another realization. "That dog, it's guarding something."

"Exactly." Hermione said with grudging approval.

"But what though?" said Ron.

"I don't know and I don't care." Hermione said, glaring at them as she stood. "I hope you're all pleased with yourselves. We could've been killed – or worse, expelled. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

"No, we don't mind." Ron said. She threw a withering glare at him before stomping off to the girls' dormitory. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you?"

Harry was quiet as they ascended the stairs. "Not exactly a stellar end to the day." he said before they entered their dorm.

Ranma and Ron nodded in agreement. "At least it was exciting. I had fun tonight." Ranma said.

"Fun? You call falling for Malfoy's trick and running a marathon through the castle fun?" Harry said, incredulously.

"Not to mention that bloody dog. I won't be able to sleep properly for a week." Ron added.

"Actually, I wouldn't have minded a crack at it. It looked pretty tough." Ranma said thoughtfully.

Harry and Ron gaped at him for a moment. "Ranma," Ron said, sounding half-amused, "did I ever tell you that you're completely off your nut?"

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 8: Halloween**

There are only **8** chapters remaining in Book 1...

Author's Notes:

A bit later than originally planned, but I think that can be forgiven, especially since I was traveling during Christmas. At any rate, you may also notice that there were no Quidditch trials in this chapter and that the title was changed. Funny thing about that; I was reading ahead in the book and realized that I had jammed a lot of content into the seventh chapter and gutted the eighth chapter of canon content (I understandably cut out the bit with Harry and Oliver). Seeing as I had a lot of content without the Quidditch trials, had not totally planned that bit anyway, and had a big space to fill in chapter eight, I decided to remove it from this chapter. It's for the best; you get the chapter in a reasonable time and the storyline stays consistent and coherent. We are now on the cusp of exciting things. The next chapter is our first high point, where the promise of action and plot development is fulfilled. It is probably the chapter you've been waiting for, where things "start to get good". If I stay on task, you can expect it around January 14, give or take a few days

I'd like to call everyone's attention to a new feature of user created forums. I took the liberty of creating one for discussion of this story. I also have a Q&A thread there for your posting enjoyment and I will try to respond to what I can. To that end, I can pare the AN section quite a bit and stop padding my word count. Please check it out, you can find it, among other ways, by viewing my profile or checking under the anime section in the forums listings.

As always, a special thanks to Kim and Ed. Thanks to those who submit comments; you are awesome. And thanks to everyone who reads the story and have it on your C2s and alerts; you've helped push the total hits up to 17287 (yeah, I know, not all unique. Remember, faithful readers, story alert is your friend ;-D ). I will see you all back here in around two weeks!

Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section **-.-;**


	8. Halloween

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: Please note that this chapter contains excerpts from and is inspired by Chapter 10 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits). If you're keeping score, it also has the same title as that chapter.

**Chapter 8: Halloween**

The next morning, Ranma was so tired that, for a change, he skipped his morning practice. He was slightly uncomfortable about doing this because he could not remember a good day that had started without his morning routine. All the same, the previous night had been late and tiring, and Ranma decided that it was worth the chance.

Thanks to his lack of sleep, he was feeling fairly cranky as he entered the Great Hall later than usual for breakfast and sat down next to Harry, merely grunting his hello. "Aren't you the bright ray of sunshine this morning." Ron joked.

"If I wasn't so hungry, I'd throw this sweetroll at you." Ranma said grumpily as he ate the pastry.

"I know what'll cheer you up. Look at Malfoy." said Harry, pointing at the entrance to the hall. The boy, flanked as usual by Crabbe and Goyle, looked astonished to see them. Ranma, Harry, and Ron all gave him dirty looks. Ranma felt a stab of anger looking at the three.

"The git, I bet he was all set to brag about getting us expelled." said Ron.

"They're lucky the teachers are in here." Ranma said, buttering his toast so hard that he scraped the plate underneath. "We've got to find a way to get back at them." Ron nodded in agreement.

"Yeah." Harry said, sounding thoughtful. "Anyway, it wasn't so bad. Now I think of it, last night was good fun."

"Yeah, it's not often you run into a three-headed dog." Ron said, grinning. "I wonder what it was guarding though."

Harry leaned in a bit. "I've got a good idea it's what was in that Gringotts vault that was broken into. Hagrid took a little package from a Gringotts vault that day, and he said Hogwarts was the only place as secure as Gringotts."

"No kidding there, when you have a guard dog like that." Ranma said. "So what's in the package?"

"No clue. Hagrid wouldn't open it or tell me about it." said Harry. "All I know is it's about two inches long."

"It's either really valuable or really dangerous." said Ron. "Or both."

At that moment, Hermione, who was sitting several seats away, stood up rather noisily, gave an indignant "Hmph!" that Ranma felt was surely meant for them, and exited the hall. "Still angry, is she?" asked Ranma.

"Yeah, she marched right up to us this morning and said she wasn't speaking to me and Harry." said Ron. "I told her she was being too kind."

Ranma and Harry grinned. "She'll come around." said Ranma.

"Not too soon, I hope." replied Harry.

The three finished their breakfast and headed out of the hall. After grabbing their bags from the dormitory, they headed down to the dungeons for Potions. They were early, as was most of the class. Hermione, Ranma noticed, was standing very close to the classroom door, resolutely not looking at them. Looking away from her, his eyes fell on three people who were quickly becoming his least favorite people in the school. Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy were in the middle of the Slytherins, talking amongst themselves and throwing ugly glances in their direction.

"They're just bitter that their plan didn't work." said Harry, when Ranma pointed this out.

"I bet they've had a good laugh that we almost got caught though." said Ron, scowling. "I heard Filch complaining about it on the way to breakfast."

Ranma had a vision of the Slytherins laughing smugly and it made his blood boil. "You know, I think I'll have a word with those gits." He stalked over to the Slytherins, not waiting for Ron and Harry to follow. The din in the corridor quieted, as Ranma had expected. He pushed past some of the Slytherins and stood directly in front of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

"Piss off, Saotome." Malfoy said dismissively. "What, you don't understand English, chinaboy?" Malfoy stuck his bottom lip under his teeth and narrowed his eyes in a terrible Chinese caricature. "So solly, you go way now!"

The Slytherins laughed appreciatively. Ranma bristled, his eyes blazing furiously. It took a great effort to not punch the boy in his face. "I understand English just fine." he said through clenched teeth. "I don't speak _coward_ though. Maybe if you hide behind your mates like you normally do, I can understand you."

The corridor became silent as all attention turned to the brewing confrontation. Crabbe and Goyle both took a step forward, drawing themselves up to look menacing. "What did you say?" Malfoy hissed.

"Oh, are you deaf now? I said you're a **coward**." said Ranma contemptuously. "That's what you call someone who issues a challenge but is too scared to show up."

Malfoy smirked. "Is that what you're on about? You Gryffindors are so simple, falling for such an _obvious_ trick." There was more appreciative laughter from the Slytherins in addition to indignant noises from the Gryffindors.

It was Ranma's turn to flush. "Our mistake, expecting Slytherins to know _anything_ about honor." he said scathingly. "But I guess that's what they teach you in Slytherin. Challenge others but don't show up. Talk big while hiding behind others. Run away if anyone stands up to you. Must be perfect for sniveling little cowards like you."

The Slytherins sounded indignant and quite angry this time while the Gryffindors made agreeing noises. "Watch your mouth, Saotome." a cold voice behind him said with quiet anger.

"What're you going to do about it, Zabini?" he replied without looking away from Malfoy. "My back's turned; ready to show that Slytherin courage?"

Ranma felt his skin prickle, partly from the anger he felt but also, he was certain, because several people around him had laid a hand on their wand. He felt a rush of adrenaline but also, in the back of his mind, wondered why he had instigated the situation. Before anything happened, though, Ranma felt the swift approach of magical aura. Professor Snape had just appeared behind them all. "What is going on here?" he asked imperiously as he looked over the crowd.

"Saotome was insulting Slytherin house." Malfoy said loudly before anyone else responded. "He said we're all cowards."

Snape looked down at Ranma with a badly disguised look of pleasure on his pale face. "Did he now? Well, I think that will be ten points from Gryffindor."

Ranma looked at Snape calmly though his insides were boiling. "I didn't know points were docked for telling the truth." he said through clenched teeth. "I'll try to remember that in the future."

"Ten more points." Snape sneered. "Any more cheek from you, Mr. Saotome, and it'll be detention. Now inside, all of you."

The class shuffled into the dungeon. Ranma felt his adrenaline and anger fade away, feeling foolish for getting riled so easily. Even though he had lost points, the other Gryffindors, except Hermione, quietly gave him nods, grins, and thumbs-up.

It seemed that Hermione was not speaking to him either, which was amusing because they still tended to partner in classes. Ranma actually found her to be a pretty good company, now that she was not going on about obscure facts she had learned and how others in class were not doing things correctly. As he had predicted, though, she gradually softened up, especially after he decided to stop mentioning the three-headed dog. A week after the event, it seemed as though things between them were getting back to normal. That was, of course, until a package arrived for Harry.

It arrived with more fanfare than the usual post, as it was delivered by six screech owls, along with a letter from McGonagall ordering Harry not to open the long thin package at the table. Ranma did not need to read the letter to know it was a broom. It did, however, say that the broom was a Nimbus 2000 (a broom he had seen in Diagon Alley) and that Harry's first practice was that evening.

"A Nimbus 2000!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even _touched_ one."

"Sugoi!" Ranma added excitedly, slipping into Japanese for a moment. "Suddenly I'm not so hungry."

"Same. I'd fancy unwrapping it before Potions, though." said Harry, standing up. The three exited the hall quickly, ignoring the murmurs of people that were, no doubt, hazarding guesses about what Harry had received.

They found their way upstairs blocked by Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and two other Slytherins third years. One of the third years made a grab for the package and, as with Malfoy and Neville's Rememberall, Ranma grabbed the boy's wrist before his hand was anywhere near it. This time, however, he held the wrist in a painful grip. "Keep your bloody hands to yourself." he growled. Ranma gave the wrist a hard squeeze before shoving the boy's arm away. "Now out of the way, losers."

The other Slytherins made a slight move, as if they might retaliate, but Ranma smirked at them, looking supremely unconcerned. "Don't bother pretending you're going to do anything. We're in the middle of the entrance hall." he said.

"Yeah, maybe if we had our backs turned and were in a broom cupboard, you five might find the courage." Ron added brazenly.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" asked Harry, but his tone said clearly that he did not care.

"That's a broomstick." said Malfoy as he pointed at the package in Harry's hand, jealousy in his voice. "You'll be in for it this time, Potter, I'll make sure of it."

"It's not just any old broomstick, it's a Nimbus 2000." said Ron, sounding very superior, as if the broom were his and not Harry's. "Beats the pants off that Comet 260 you're always going on about."

"What would you know about it, Weasley, you couldn't afford half the handle." Malfoy snapped back. "I suppose you and your brothers have to save up twig by twig."

Professor Flitwick made a timely arrival at that moment. "Not arguing I hope, boys?" he squeaked.

"Potter's been sent a broom." Malfoy said quickly.

"Yes, yes, that's right." said Professor Flitwick. "Professor McGonagall told me about the special circumstances, Potter. And what model is it?"

"Nimbus 2000, sir." said Harry. Ranma, Ron, and Harry were all fighting laughter, instead settling on infuriatingly gloating grins. Malfoy and his gang looked stunned with incredulity. "And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it."

They barely held their laughter a few steps past the enraged boys, and Ranma took special pleasure in laughing mockingly at them. "Well it's true." Harry chortled as they reached the top of the marble staircase. "If he hadn't stolen Neville's Rememberall, I wouldn't be on the team..."

"So I suppose you think that's a reward for breaking rules?" said an angry and familiar voice from behind them. Hermione was stomping up the stairs, looking disapprovingly at the package Harry was holding. Ranma groaned, perhaps a bit too loudly, and she rounded on him "And _you_. I suppose you won't be happy until you've started a war between Gryffindor and Slytherin?"

"Wha – you're not – no way am I doing that!" Ranma spluttered indignantly.

"Right, and the eight of you were just having a lovely chat." she said reproachfully. "What would've happened if they had attacked you?"

Ranma's temper was rising. "First, they weren't stupid enough to attack us. Second, we could've handled them if they were. Third, it's none of your business." he said dismissively.

"It _is_ my business if you're going to lose points for Gryffindor." she retorted. "If you weren't so selfish-"

"Oh, _I'm_ selfish, am I?" Ranma cut across, the heat rising to his cheeks. "And what about you? You're too busy showing off in class to realize I'm the only friend you've got."

"I _do not_ show off!" Hermione said angrily.

"Right, and you're not nosy either. A bit of advice: nobody wants to be friends with a nosy know-it-all." Ranma was so worked up that he took a small bit of pleasure in seeing that his words had stung her. She seemed shocked and looked, for a moment, as if she had been struck across the face.

"Fine." she said evenly, her lip quivering slightly and her eyes shining. "You don't have to worry about that anymore." She pushed past them and ran the rest of the way up the stairs.

Ron and Harry looked at her retreating form and Ranma, who was standing stock still. He looked winded and slightly confused. "You all right, Ranma?" asked Harry, looking discomfited.

"What? Oh, yeah..." Ranma replied, shaking his head as if to clear cobwebs. He was feeling conflicted. He had finally voiced his concerns with Hermione, but he had not meant to do it so publicly and tactlessly. Why had he become so angry with her? And was she serious about them not being friends?

"You were just telling the truth, mate. It's her loss if she can't handle it." said Ron bracingly, though he looked as uncomfortable as Harry. "Come on, let's get a look at the broom, that'll cheer you up."

The row with Hermione changed the tone of the day considerably for Ranma. He felt an overwhelming need to blow off steam but, as he had classes very soon, he could not slip off to the dueling classroom. Despite Ron's assertions to the contrary, even the allure of Harry's fine new racing broom did not cheer him up. He had a terrible potions lesson, nearly letting Neville ruin their potion because he was distracted while trying to both conspicuously ignore and covertly steal glances at Hermione. She hardly performed any better, a fact which gave him a twinge of vindictive pleasure. In the end he managed to salvage their effort, but not before Snape had managed to dock a few points and nearly reduce Neville to tears.

When class ended, Ranma declined Harry and Ron's invitation down to Hagrid's, instead heading to Madame Hooch's office. In a way, he was glad they thought he was still upset about his row with Hermione because he did not have to explain where he was going. His excuses for not hanging out with them had been growing thin, and he really did not want to think what either of them would say if they knew what he was up to. Arriving at Madame Hooch's office, he knocked on the door, and her sharp voice called "Come in!"

Ranma entered. "Good afternoon, Madame Hooch."

She looked up from some papers. "Ah, Saotome. A broom again, I suppose?" she said. Ranma nodded. She raised her wand, muttered an incantation, and jabbed it him. "Well, you know where they are. Number forty-three, I think."

"Thank you, ma'am." he said, then exited and closed the door. Five minutes later he had walked out into the grounds and reached the school broom shed. His hand was warm a second as he touched the knob and the lock clicked. Inside the dusty building, the brooms were arranged on stands, leaned against the walls, and piled in corners. As daunting as searching the hundreds of brooms for his particular broom seemed, the charm Madame Hooch had placed on him led him right to it.

Back in the afternoon sunshine, quickly ran to the Hogwarts quidditch pitch. That was where, the following day, the Gryffindor quidditch trials would finally be held after being delayed a week by a storm. The previous week, Ranma's half-formed idea had become a decision to participate in the trials, and he had been borrowing a school broom to practice his flying every day. He was getting better, but only barely so, and thought it had been wise to not tell anyone what he was going to do.

It was a terrible practice and he had known it would be the second he kicked off from the ground. He was as shaky as his first time on a broom and his control was erratic and heavy-handed. After only ten minutes, he gave it up as a bad job, returned the broom to the shed, and returned to the castle.

A good night's sleep seemed to do the trick for Ranma. He had not forgotten the row with Hermione by any means, but it did not weigh as heavily on him. He put it from his mind and concentrated solely on the trials. He arrived at the quidditch pitch early and flew a bit before others began arriving.

The trials were to start at noon. The pitch was abuzz with activity as about twenty-five people milled about, all holding a broom. Ranma recognized Fred and George, who were dressed in red and gold robes. Five other people, three girls and an older boy, whom he guessed was the captain, Oliver Wood, were dressed similarly; they, apparently, were members of the team. Looking around, he saw that he was the youngest person there. Ranma had expected this, but it did not make him feel any better, especially with the unpleasant memory of the previous day's flying practice in his head. Looking away from the other hopefuls, he saw a dozen or so people in the stands. The thought of even more people watching made his stomach churn, a feeling with which Ranma was unfamiliar.

"All right, everyone gather around!" Wood called out, waving them in. When they were all huddled together, Wood in the center of the semi-circle, he continued. "I'll keep this short. You're trying for any starting positions but keeper and seeker. I'll warn you, though, that I really like the team I have now, so it'll take a real talent to unseat one of them."

Everyone shifted uncomfortably and looked around, particularly at those dressed in the Gryffindor robes. "All right, good luck then." Wood said, nodding curtly at the group. "Chasers and keepers, gather round the right goal posts. Beaters and seekers in the middle of the field. We'll just do some drills to warm up first. Angelina, take these quaffles with you; Fred, George, carry the bats and the bludgers. "

Ranma followed Fred and George to the middle of the field. About a third of the people followed. There was a marked difference in the sizes of the people in the group. Some were fairly small, though obviously older than Ranma, while others were tall and stout. After a few minutes of standing nervously there and listening to the Weasley twins joke about sabotaging the bats (which they were handing out), Wood landed nearby and gave them instructions.

"Fred and George are handing out the bats. Seekers, take a lap or two to get warmed up, then come back around." he said. Ranma watched the smaller people fly off down the pitch. "Oy, aren't you going to take a lap?"

Ranma looked down at Wood, who was unfastening the latches on three big, wooden cases. "Wha- no, I'm trying for beater." he responded, sounding slightly flustered.

'Well, you're a bit small, aren't you?" said Wood. It was true; Ranma was the smallest of those receiving bats. "Beaters are usually big, with strong arms."

"I _am_ strong, probably the strongest person on the pitch." Ranma said with a slightly annoyed tone. He ignored the snickering of the older people around him; they would not be laughing in a few minutes.

"We'll see...err, what's your name?" Ranma told him. "Right, we'll see, Saotome."

Overhead, the seekers passed by in a flash. "All right, take to the air everyone, and form a circle. I'm going to release the bludgers, and I want you to pass them between yourselves."

Everyone kicked off, Ranma least steady among them, and spread out into a wide circle. Ranma found holding the bat with one hand and the broom handle in the other to be somewhat disconcerting. After shifting a bit, he found he could hover level by holding by resting the bat hand on the handle.

"Here come the bludgers!" Wood yelled as he kicked open the three cases. Out flew six shiny, black balls, each slightly larger than a volleyball and each pelting towards them like cannonballs. The bludgers sped off towards different Beaters, four of whom hit them solidly across the circle. The person next to Ranma missed the bludger completely, but it swung back around at the circle, heading right for Ranma's back. Ranma could see it in his periphery, but a quick glance around showed another bludger bearing down on him from the center of the circle. From the looks of them, they would reach him at almost the same time.

Ranma took a deep, steadying breath, cocked his arm across his body, and took a great backhanded swing at the bludger behind him. The bludger and the bat collided with the sound of a gunshot, and the bludger shot across the circle, flying twice as fast as it had before. He did not watch it go, but instead brought the bat forward again with a blurring swing that sent the other bludger across the circle as well. Ranma looked around the circle, confidently smirking at the astonished looks around him. Finally, he had found something he could do well on a broom.

They continued passing the bludgers for another ten minutes (Ranma was one of the few, including Fred and George, who never missed) before Wood had them spread out at the end of the pitch and aim bludgers at the Seekers, who were flying there, searching intently for the golden snitch Wood had released. "Don't hit them too hard. I just want to see how they move." Wood instructed. The seekers could not move, at least not very well. Within ten minutes, all but one of them was hit at least once, and the one lucky enough to avoid the bludgers nearly unseated herself while dodging.

"Bring it in, everyone!" Wood called out from the middle of the pitch. Ranma and a few others wrestled the bludgers back into their cases while the chasers and keepers flew in from the other end of the pitch. When everyone had arrived, Wood cleared his throat and spoke. "All right, for the final bit of the trial, we're going to have a practice match. I want to see how you perform in a game situation. I'm going to make two teams and, during the match, send in different people. This is your final chance to make an impression, so play hard."

The match played out with mixed results. On one hand, the veteran players were, naturally, playing very well, even as they faced off against each other. The keepers were competent enough, but that did not keep chasers from scoring. The beaters were, literally, hit or miss, since they did not have the luxury of sitting still while hitting the bludgers. Ranma watched Wood carefully for his reactions while he waited his turn, noting that the captain had very little patience for mistakes.

Finally, Ranma was called, and he kicked off into the air, knowing he had to make a good impression. The pace was intense; the seekers were marking each other so closely they might have been riding the same broom. Slightly up the pitch, the chasers were weaving around one another, jostling for the quaffle, while a bludger zeroed in on the group. Ranma suddenly realized, with a start, that his team was ranged against five of the current Gryffindor players. Ranma spotted the bludger that George had just hit away from the chasers, who were now headed up the pitch and to face his team's keeper, and sped after it. He reached it just in time, pulled back his arm, and took a mighty swing.

"Well done, everyone, that was a great trial, and I'm sure you all did your best." Wood said fifteen minutes later. He had called the match because none of the seekers could find the snitch. One of the team members, a girl named Katie, was still in the air looking for it. "However, I've decided not to make any changes to the team."

He said the last bit over loud groans. Ranma's heart sank, even though he was not totally surprised. After all, his team did lose by a pretty good margin, and no amount of bludger work on his part had been able to change it. As much as it hurt his pride to admit it, he had failed. It was not a feeling he was used to, and he hated the bitter taste it left in his mouth. "Saotomes don't lose." Genma's voice intoned in his head.

The sound of Katie returning to the ground snapped him out of his dark thoughts, and he realized that Wood had dismissed the group. "Got it, Oliver." she said, holding her fist out, inside of which was golden ball with fluttering wings. He took it from her and put it into one of the ball cases.

"Blimey, those seekers were terrible. That was the _slow_ snitch." joked Fred.

Ranma had just turned to leave when Wood called to him. "Oy, Saotome, where are you going?" He turned around and saw the team waiting for him, along with two others from the trials, a dark-haired girl named Francesca Garibaldi and a tall black boy named Wendell Sotheby. "I needed a word with you the team, remember?"

Later that evening, at dinner, he was still trying to wrap his mind around the afternoon's events. On the one hand, he had failed to make the team. On the other hand, like Sotheby and Garibaldi, Wood had named him as a reserve player. Technically, that meant he was not really on the team, but he might be called on to play should anyone on the team become unable to play. Wood let them know that he was looking for serious players, even on reserve. "It's strictly voluntary, of course, and you probably won't see one second of playing time, but you'll need to be at practice a couple times a week if you want a chance to play." he had said.

"Good on you." said Harry. He and Ron had watched the trials and had been surprised to see Ranma participate.

"Yeah, but why didn't you tell us you were trying for the team?" Ron said, sounding slightly accusatory.

"Well, I – it would have been embarrassing to make a fuss and then not make the team, right?" said Ranma. He felt embarrassed anyway, but he did not let on about it.

"Yeah, I suppose." said Ron. "I'm surprised he put you on reserve though. No offense, but you were probably the worst flier out there."

"Flying's not everything, little bro'." said Fred as he and George arrived at the table. They sat down next to and opposite Ranma and cast looks of great interest on him. "You have to be handy with the bat as well."

"Too true. You hit some excellent bludgers today, probably some of the best hit ones I've seen in a while, and never here at Hogwarts." George said to Ranma.

"Yeah, did you see the one he hit from the other side of the pitch -" Ron started.

"Of course we saw it, _Ronniekins_, we were on the field." Fred said, rolling his eyes. "I almost didn't get to that one, actually."

"Yeah. If it wasn't for your flying and lack of experience, you might've given Fred or me a close call on our positions. Between us, that's saying something, mind you." George paused to take a bite of mashed potatoes. "Anyway, Wood wants us to train you up in case we're hurt -"

"More like to replace us. I saw that glint in his eyes." Fred added, but he grinned good naturedly.

"No worries, we'll make sure to sabotage his training." George said, grinning. Ranma raised his eyebrows, not sure if they were joking or being serious.

Now that the term was fully underway, Ranma found himself fully occupied with practices, regular martial arts training, and an increasing load of homework. He was so busy, in fact, that he had no problem putting his argument with Hermione out of his mind. She was no longer sitting with him in class, instead partnering almost exclusively with Neville. While this made Ranma the odd man out, it was not much of a problem except in Potions, where he and a Slytherin were forced to work together. The amount of written homework they were assigned did give him pause, as he idly realized that, with Hermione's help, he would not have spent so many late nights finishing his work.

At team practices, the Weasley twins were taking their jobs training him as seriously as they could, which was really not all that serious. Fred and George were very good beaters, though, and, with their help, Ranma began to pick up on the games intricacies. His flying was still mediocre, but Fred assured him that it would come in due time as long as he kept working at it.

Then there were another far less pleasant issue he had been trying to avoid that finally caught up with him. One Friday, six weeks into the term, Ranma received a letter from a post owl, on which his name was written in severe, cursive handwriting. This was odd, since the only people he had ever received post from were his mother and Snape, for detentions. He untied the parchment from the owl's leg, unrolled it, and scanned the contents.

Mr. Saotome:

I should like to meet with you this afternoon to discuss your progress. I shall expect you at two o'clock.

_Professor McGonagall_

Ranma started to ask Ron, who was sitting next to him, if he had received a letter, but stopped short when he saw that Neville was the only other person with a letter. The way she mentioned his "progress", Ranma had a shrewd idea what the meeting would be about, and he had no desire at all to tell anyone about it. He quietly slipped the letter into his robes and threw a glance at Neville, who was also quietly pocketing his letter. Their eyes met briefly and Ranma gave him a weak, commiserating smile, thinking that Neville was lucky that Hermione was not there to pry the contents of the letter from him.

"Come in, Mr. Saotome." Professor McGonagall said after he had knocked on her office door at exactly two o'clock. "Have a seat. Would you care for a biscuit?"

He took a couple of biscuits from the open tin. She looked across the desk at him, her hands folded on the desk in front of her. "Well, Mr. Saotome, I won't beat about the bush. I'd like to discuss your progress in your studies. I've received your grades from your other classes and evaluated them. The best I can say is that you are on the line between passing and failing."

She paused for a moment, as if giving him a moment to say something. Ranma only looked at her passively, though he felt as if a block of ice had settled in his stomach. "You seem to be doing well enough in Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Your grades are average in Astronomy and History of Magic. Unsurprisingly, you are a top student in Potions. However," she was coming to her point, "your performance in practical magic classes is abysmal."

Ranma shifted uncomfortably in his chair and looked away from her. He had known the moment he received the letter that this would be the subject of their meeting, the terrible difficulty he was having with casting spells. There was no debate about who was the worst in his class. Ranma was always the last person to successfully cast a spell and it was always very weak magic. What made it far worse, to him, was that his spell work was technically correct, down to the wand movement and inflection of the incantation. For perhaps the first time in his life, constant, rigorous practice had not made any noticeable improvement.

"But Professor, I'm really trying." he said.

"I know, Mr. Saotome, you try harder than your classmates in practical magic. You try to cover up your failure by pretending you're not really trying, or that it's all a big joke. I've been teaching quite a while, Mr. Saotome, and I know how to recognize the signs." she said. "But you must come to grips with the fact that not everyone is equally magical. You may never produce magic as powerfully as others."

"So...so you're saying I should just give up?" he said with disbelief.

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous." she snapped. "I expect from you what I expect from all my students, but especially Gryffindors: your best. Have you been doing your best?"

"Well, no, my spellwork -"

"Your spellwork is as best as you can do. But there is more to Charms and Transfiguration than just spellwork.." She paused and sighed. "I'll tell you the same thing I told your mother. She had the same problem that you have and we had a meeting just like this."

Ranma's mind reeled a bit at this revelation. "But she doesn't have trouble doing magic."

"No, because, by her fifth year, she had grown out of whatever was causing her difficulty." she said simply. "Now, Mr. Saotome, my advice to you is the same as it was to her. Your performance on tests and papers has been average so far while your practical work has been below average, thus your marks are low. You must focus more of your energy on the theory portion of Charms and Transfiguration. If you raise your marks there, Professor Flitwick and I will look more favorably on your situation."

Ranma nodded, slumping in the chair and feeling numb and queasy. His mother had only been able to do magic properly after _five years, _and he could only expect the same. Worse still, it was only six weeks into the year and people, first years especially, were already hexing each other in the corridors. How had his mother survived years of being unable to defend herself? She probably had not gone out of her way to antagonize people in Slytherin house, which Ranma had accomplished in typical Saotome fashion. Only his martial arts skill and rudimentary magic detection kept him untouched by unfriendly spells, especially after others learned of his magical deficiency.

This thought caused him to sit up straight. "Professor, can I say something?"

"You may." she replied.

Ranma took a moment to compose his words before beginning. "My magic, I feel like it's being blocked by...I don't know, something. But my energy's not small, I know it!"

She steepled her hands and looked at him. "That may be true. But how can you be sure your magical energy is not small?"

"Because..." Ranma trailed off. He had not revealed to anyone that he could sense magical energy. He felt strongly that, as with ki, the ability to detect it was not normal and displaying the ability was similar to showing people you could read their minds. If he wanted answers, though, he would have to share his secret. "...because I can sense magical energy."

McGonagall sat up straighter, if that were even possible. "When you say 'sense'..."

"It's like I can feel it, like static. And I can almost 'see' it." he said, searching for the right words. "It's really similar to sensing ki, actually."

Amazingly, she sat even straighter. "You can sense ki?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes..." he replied uncertainly, realizing what he had let slip. "You know about ki?"

"Yes, I do. Tell me, can you also manipulate ki?"

"I...I'm not supposed to say..." Ranma had not intended to disclose this much.

"I'll take that as a yes." She sat back in her chair, her hands still steepled, and looked at him with great interest. "This is most interesting. As far as I know, you are an exception. Wizards, as far as I know, can not sense ki, nor can they manipulate it. As for sensing magic, very few wizards can do it, and they are very powerful."

It was Ranma's turn to sit up straight. "Could this have something to do with my problems with magic?" he asked excitedly.

"It is possible. I'm afraid this is out of my area of expertise. I shall have to consult Professor Dumbledore before I can answer any of your questions." she said before sitting up straight again. "Well, Mr. Saotome, I think that will be all now. I will let you know when I have more information. In the meantime, I shall expect a marked improvement in both your Charms and Transfiguration theory."

"Thank you, Professor, I will." Ranma said, and he meant it.

"Very well, good day to you."

Ranma was as good as his word. Harry and Ron suddenly found themselves without one-third of their trio, as Ranma was now spending more time in the library and studying in the common room. He abstained from practicing his spellwork more than an hour a day and carried around an overstuffed bookbag that would have made Hermione, a first class bookworm, proud.

There was another noticeable change due to his progress meeting. Before talking with McGonagall, Ranma had not really spent much time with Neville outside of class, but that all changed when they became regular study partners. Though they never openly acknowledged it to one another, they knew they were in the same boat. After all, no one else really understood their situations. They did, however, study with others at times ; Neville's second choice was usually Hermione while Ranma could be found working with Ron and Harry. And while Ranma was clearly the better student and helped Neville quite a bit, it was not a one way street. Ranma found that Neville was very good at relaying information, especially information he had learned from Hermione, and this proved to be invaluable to them both. In all, Neville seemed like a good person, but his self-confidence was very low, and Ranma suspected this hindered the boy's magical ability.

"You know, mate, you're becoming a real Hermione." Ron said one Thursday evening, two weeks later. He, Harry, Ranma, and Neville were sitting at a table in the common room, working on a nasty Potions paper. Or rather, Harry, Ron, and Neville were working; Ranma had finished his paper and was checking it over.

"Am I? Have I been going on about how your answers are wrong and mine are right?" " Ranma replied absently, half-paying attention as he searched for a definition.

The other three sniggered as quietly as they could, but not quietly enough. Ranma heard a book slam shut behind him, followed by the shuffling sound of a person gathering their belongings, then quick, receding footsteps. "I think she heard you." said Neville, looking slightly embarrassed.

Ranma turned his head quickly and saw the end of Hermione's robes disappear up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. He sighed dejectedly, feeling that his Saotome Foot-In-Mouth technique was becoming more of an annoying habit than usual. "You think so, Neville?" he replied sarcastically. The boy grinned weakly before returning to his paper. "Oh, and you've got the properties of moonstone mixed up there, Ron."

Ron, Harry, and Neville all looked at him and laughed. "I'm telling you, you're turning into her. You do that again and I'll start calling you 'Ranmione'." Ron chortled.

Just then, Fred, George, and Lee entered the common room and, spotting the four of them, headed over. "Well well, our swotty young fellows, suffering a Snape paper, eh?" said George.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" asked Ron.

"Only Snape's homework can inspire that look of pain." replied Lee with a grin.

"It's not so bad. I'm basically finished with it." Ranma said, stretching his arms over his head. "I'm waiting for them to finish to look their papers over."

Fred and George exchanged knowing looks while Lee looked mildly impressed. "Well, since you're not busy, we thought we'd have a word." said Fred, taking a seat at the table.

"All right." Ranma said, setting his quill in his ink bottle.

"We've, err, heard you've been dipping into the red, so to speak." said George.

"Dipping into _what_?"

"The red, man. You know, you've got a deficit." said Lee.

"I don't -" Ranma started, but Fred cut him off.

"They mean that you've lost more points than you've won for the house."

"Ohhh. Have I?"

"You have indeed." said George

"Oh. Well, what about it?"

"'What about it', he says." said Fred with mock astonishment. "Look, Ranma, as practicing mischief makers, we feel it is our duty to guide the next generation along the proper path."

"Proper path? You're joking, right? I'm no mischief maker."

"That's not the way we've been hearing it." said Lee in an amused tone. "You've got a secret feud with Peeves, Snape's taking points and giving you detentions, and, the clincher, Filch has you on 'The List'."

For a second, Ranma was speechless. "Now wait a second, I've not got any detentions from Snape since the first week. And how do you know about Peeves? And what's 'The List'?"

Fred grinned. "When you're in the business of mischief, it pays to know what others are doing. Anyway, it's not exactly a secret that you and Peeves have been having the occasional scrum when no teachers are around."

"And 'The List' is Filch's master list of all the troublemakers since he's been caretaker." said Lee.

"Though we prefer to be called mischief makers. We hate getting lumped in with the prats that are making actual trouble." said George. "Which takes us back to what we were saying before. Right now, you're a troublemaker."

"Wait, how do you figure that?" Ranma said indignantly.

"Well, there's the deficit." Fred said.

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you two. You lose points all the time!"

"Yeah, but _we_ always earn them back." said George. "It's the difference between being a pair of good-natured mischief makers -"

"- and a troublemaking first year." Fred finished. "Always earn back what you lose and they'll love you forever, we always say."

"Fine, I suppose that makes sense." Ranma said with a shrug. "I'll try to get them back."

"Good man." said Lee with a grin. "Now then, about this feud you're starting with the Slytherins..."

"Okay, hold on. What're you on about?" Ranma was indignant again. "How am _I_ starting a feud? Seems like there's been one between us and them for ages."

"It's more a heated rivalry, actually." said Fred. "But it'll be more than that if you keep saying -"

"- extremely truthful - " added George.

"- things to antagonize the Slytherins. You won't be very popular around here if that happens."

Ranma did not respond. He was suddenly reminded of the argument he'd had with Hermione. She had said he was intent on starting a war between the houses, and here were three other people saying almost the same thing.

"Besides that, you should be careful." Lee said. "We think word is getting around Slytherin house about your anti-Slytherin talk. They're sneaky, underhanded blighters, and they won't be afraid to take a poke at you in the right situation."

Ranma flashed a confident, unconcerned smirk. "You're joking, right? They couldn't find the courage if it were strapped to their faces." he said. The others chuckled appreciatively. "Seriously, what've I got to worry about? They couldn't hex me if I stood in the middle of the entire house."

Lee, Fred, and George suddenly looked very interested, as if he had given them a cue. "So is it true then?" asked Fred.

"Is what true?"

"You're unhexable? That's the word in the corridors, that no one can hit you with a spell." said George.

"Oh. Yeah, that's true. Not that they haven't tried." Ranma replied, trying not to sound too proud of himself and failing miserably. "Actually, it's a bit annoying, having everyone test me."

"So why not defend yourself?" asked Lee. He did not see the sly looks that had formed on the twins' faces, but Ranma did.

"Not worth the effort." Ranma said unconcernedly. He did not tell them that he could not retaliate, nor that dodging attacks effortlessly was more infuriating to attackers than fighting back. Acting aloof seemed much cooler and more impressive.

Just as Ranma had kept his word with her, Professor McGonagall made good with hers. The next Wednesday, Ranma received another letter bearing her distinct handwriting, which asked that he be at her office after dinner. It had seemed an to Ranma that he had been waiting an eternity for the letter, though not quite three weeks had passed since their previous meeting. The rest of the day was a blur to Ranma until he knocked on Professor McGonagall's door that evening.

"Come in, Mr. Saotome." she called from within the office. He pushed the door but, as he did, he felt a slight flare of magical energy, as if another wizard had passed by. Stepping inside, his eyes fell on Professor McGonagall, who was sitting at her desk. However, she was not the only person in the room. Standing to her left, looking kindly at him with twinkling, bespectacled eyes, was the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. Ranma was shocked, and not only because he was not expecting the headmaster. What kept Ranma still and staring was Dumbledore's magical aura; it seemed lesser even than his own. Yet there was no fooling Ranma, who had, long ago, learned to size up a person accurately. There was no mistake about his first impression of Dumbledore; there was immense power inside his old and somewhat frail looking body.

"Close the door and sit down, Mr. Saotome." Professor McGonagall said. When he had taken his seat, she continued. "As promised, I spoke with Professor Dumbledore about our conversation and he wanted to talk with you personally."

She rose from her seat. "As I have little input for this conversation and I have other business to attend to, I shall leave you both to it." she said.

"Of course, Minerva." Dumbledore said, nodding at her before she swept from the room. When she had left, he pulled out his wand and conjured a squashy armchair, which pushed her straight backed chair to the side. He sat down with a small sigh and smiled across the desk at Ranma. "I would introduce myself, but I'm sure you may have heard of me, and I have, of course, heard of you, and not only from your mother and Professor McGonagall. Let us assume, then, that we have introduced ourselves and have had pleasant small talk."

Ranma was not sure whether Dumbledore was being serious. "Okay..." he said with a small grin.

"Now then, Professor McGonagall told me of your conversation (some two weeks ago, please forgive my late response), but forgive me if I retread old material. It is true that you can sense ki?"

"Yes."

"And what can you tell me about my ki?"

Ranma wondered if this was a trick question. "Well, sir, you don't have any."

Dumbledore was silent a moment and his eyes became suddenly penetrating. "Are you sure I'm not hiding it?"

"You're joking, right?" Ranma asked, but Dumbledore seemed quite serious. "You can suppress your ki to almost nothing, but a small trace will still be there, and if it was, I would be able to sense it at this distance."

Dumbledore nodded, seeming satisfied with the explanation. "And do you not find that odd?"

Ranma shrugged. "I did at first, but all the witches and wizards I've met have no ki. My mother is the only magical person I know besides me that has ki."

"I see." Dumbledore said. "Can you demonstrate your ki manipulation?"

"Sure, but I'd have to break something."

"Well then, by all means break something." Dumbledore replied, smiling.

Ranma concentrated a moment then raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and brought it down hard on the chair next to him. The chair broke down the middle, its two halves clattering on the floor. "Remarkable." Dumbledore said before waving his wand at the chair to repair it. "Even more so that you have command of such advanced ki techniques at your age."

"Professor, how do you and Professor McGonagall know about ki? Wizards don't have ki, right?"

"That is true, but wizards study magic, and ki manipulation is like Muggle magic, if you will. Less prejudiced wizards realize this and, in the past, wizards learned of these 'Muggle arts'. But times change and, as in the Muggle world, knowledge of ki has dwindled." Dumbledore paused again, and Ranma could not help but feel that his question was not totally answered. "Now, please tell me about your ability to sense magical energy."

"Well, it's like I told Professor McGonagall. It's like sensing ki, but I can't sense it as well."

Dumbledore nodded. "Naturally. You have not trained this ability like your ki sensing."

"Right. I can feel it but I can't really 'see' it yet."

"And what do you feel about my magical energy?"

Ranma concentrated, feeling multiple sources of magic in the room, all unwavering and only one that was of any significant size. He was not fooled, however. "You're suppressing your magical energy. But your wand would give you away." Ranma hesitated.

"Yes, that is an unfortunate drawback. It is, however, a useful trick to put people off their guard." Dumbledore sat back and looked at Ranma over slender fingers that were steepled in front of his face. He did not speak for a minute and Ranma did not dare make a sound that might interrupt the man. Finally, he stirred and began speaking again. "Well, I will admit that I'm at a loss here. You are not wanting for magical energy, that is certain. You should not have problems concentrating, if you can manipulate ki. I've also observed your spellwork and you appear to be doing things correctly."

Ranma felt a jolt in his body. When and how had Dumbledore watched him without his knowledge? "You and your mother are anomolies, having both ki and magical energy. What, if anything, that has to do with your difficulties with spellcasting is anyone's guess. The fact is that something is blocking the flow of your magic, just as it apparently did with Nodoka."

"So – so you're saying there's nothing I – _you_ can do?"

"That, happily, is not what I'm saying." said Dumbledore, smiling. "You could, of course, allow nature to take its course, as your mother did, but I gather that you would prefer a more active approach."

Ranma nodded vigorously. "Then my advice to you is this: improve your magic sensing."

"Yeah, but – ".

"Take what you know about training your ki sense and apply it to sensing magic. Take what you know about training to manipulate ki and apply it to casting spells." Dumbledore said. "It may help the problem, and it may not, but you lose nothing in trying."

"Okay. I can do that." said Ranma.

"Excellent. Now I'll expect weekly progress reports..." He smiled mischievously at Ranma's horrified look. "I jest, but I should like to hear of any progress you feel you've made. Simply tell Professor McGonagall and it shall get around to me."

"Okay, sir."

"Well then, I bid you good evening, Mr. Saotome."

"Good evening, sir."

Ranma had never had pumpkin pie before but he thought that, if it tasted as good as it smelled, it would be delicious. The smell hung heavy throughout the castle, even in the dueling classroom. It was not until later, on the way to Charms, that he learned why the pumpkin pie was being baked.

"Well it's Halloween, innit?" said Dean.

"Is it?" replied Ranma.

"It _is_ the last day of October." said Ron. "Don't tell me you don't have Halloween in Japan."

"We do, but it's not a big thing like it is here. Not many people celebrate it."

"It's a kid's holiday in the Muggle world." Harry said. "You go around in a costume and ask for sweets."

"And people just give them to you?" said Ron with disbelief. "Weird."

Charms was going to be more exciting than usual, even for Ranma and Neville, because Professor Flitwick had told them the previous class that they were ready to start levitating things. He started class by pairing everyone off and Ranma ended up with Neville while Harry was with Seamus and Ron was, unwillingly, with Hermione. He felt sorry for Ron and a tiny bit disappointed. Since their row, he had been thinking of breaking the silence, but he had been too busy and too proud to do so.

Flitwick gave them a few pointers before setting them off. "Don't forget the nice wrist movement we've been practicing! Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is important, too – never forget the Wizard Barrufio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

The spell was difficult, but Ranma and Neville worked hard at it, as did the entire class. Ranma was not trying to do the spell though, not right away. Dumbledore had advised him to approach spellcasting as he would ki use. He knew that, as with ki, a relative beginner would be wasting his time and energy trying advanced techniques before learning to gather and focus the energy. With the added blockage of his power, it was doubly important that he pass that threshold first. So, instead of trying to do the spell, he practiced the wand movement and enunciation of the words, all while gently correcting Neville. At one point the feather seemed to flip over.

"I did it!" said Neville with understandable astonishment.

"Yeah, good going, Neville." Ranma said encouragingly. He chose not to tell Neville that the breeze from his sleeve had moved the feather. "Is something burning?"

"Err, accident'ly set it on fire." Seamus said, pointing at his and Harry's charred feather.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!" shouted Ron, flailing his wand arm.

"You're saying it wrong." Hermione snapped, finally saying something to Ron after five weeks. "It's Win-_gar_-dium Levi-_o_-sa, make the _gar_ nice and long."

"You do it, if you're so clever." Ron snarled. Ranma found himself looking at their increasingly angry conversation. He was not the only one.

"Fine." she retorted, her cheeks turning red. She rolled up her sleeve, flicked her wand, and said, "_Wingardium Leviosa_!"

The spell was perfectly performed, which was a surprise to no one. "Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron seized the feather from the air and crushed it angrily in his hand. By the end of class, he was in a very sour mood.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron said as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."

Hermione pushed her way through them unusually brusquely, and Ranma thought he heard a sniffle as she passed. "I think she heard you." Harry said quietly.

"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."

Ranma rounded on him so suddenly that the people walking behind ran into them. "You're out of line, Ron. Why do you have to give her a hard time?" he demanded.

"Oh, you're one to talk." Ron retorted defensively. "You said about the same thing to her, and _you_ were supposed to be her friend."

Ranma opened his mouth to respond, but he could think of no proper response. Ron was right, of course, but Hermione had not reacted so startlingly to their row. In the back of his mind, though, he knew that was not true, but it had been so easy to ignore in his anger. Thinking back on it, he felt guilty and ashamed, not because he was necessarily wrong but because of the way he had handled the situation.

"Let's just get on to class." Harry said quickly, as if afraid Ranma and Ron would start arguing. "We'll see about Hermione later."

But Hermione was not in class the rest of the day, nor did they see her at lunch or in the common room. On the way down to the Halloween feast, they overheard Parvati tell Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. Ron looked awkward at this but seemed to forget about her when they entered the Great Hall.

There were thousands of bats on the walls and ceilings, some of which swooped about in clouds above their heads. Carved, lit pumpkins had replaced the normal candles. The golden plates and silverware from the welcoming feast were on the table again. As then, the food appeared suddenly and everyone began to dig in.

They had hardly begun filling their plates when Professor Quirrell sprinted into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. He reached Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll – in the dungeon – thought you should know." And without another word, he fell to the floor in a dead faint.

The Great Hall erupted in panic. Dumbledore raised his wand into the air and shot off very loud and very purple fireworks, bringing the hall to silence. "Prefects," he said with a powerful, commanding voice different from the one Ranma had remembered, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories, immediately!"

As Percy began pompously corralling the Gryffindors, Harry, Ron, and Ranma speculated about how a troll could have gotten into the castle.

"Couldn't have gotten in by itself, they're supposed to be really stupid." Ron said over the din. "Maybe Peeves let it in as a joke."

"I'll pound him if he did." Ranma said half-seriously. As they pushed their way through the chaos in the entrance hall, he remembered what Parvati had said. "Hey, we forgot about Hermione."

"What about her?" said Ron. He clearly did not want to talk about her.

"She doesn't know about the troll." said Harry. Ranma could see that Harry was thinking the same thing he was thinking.

Ron looked at both of them, as if wondering if they were kidding. "Oh, all right, but Percy'd better not see us."

They ducked for a moment, then joined a line of Hufflepuffs going in the opposite direction before slipping down a deserted side corridor. As they hurried towards the girls' bathroom, Ranma could hear approaching footsteps and feel the approach of another magical aura. "Quick!" he whispered, pointing at a large stone griffin.

"Percy!" Ron hissed after they had dived behind the statue.

It wasn't Percy, though, it was Snape, and he looked to be in a great hurry. He crossed the corridor in several long strides and disappeared from view. "Shouldn't he be in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?" said Harry. "What's he up to?"

They waited a minute for Snape's steps to recede, then ran along the corridor as silently as they could. "He's heading for the third floor." Harry remarked.

Ranma was only half listening, instead straining his senses to detect any approaching person. He suddenly threw his arm out and pushed them into the shadow of a column. He could hear deep, rhythmic breathing and dull thuds. Worse still, he could feel a large magical presence, larger than he'd felt from any wizard, moving slowly towards them. Then a terrible smell reached his nose and he nearly gagged. The three of them quickly covered their noses. "What the devil is that smell?" Ron asked, sounding muffled.

"Quiet!" Ranma hissed, then pointed down the corridor. Harry and Ron could now hear the slow footfalls and low grunting coming from the end of the corridor. A huge shadow loomed, moving slowly from side to side. But why was it up here and not in the dungeons, Ranma wondered. The troll stepped into a patch of moonlight, revealing it's ugly form. It was easily twelve feet tall and half as wide, with long, muscled arms and hands that made Hagrid's seem dainty in comparison. Its legs were as thick as tree trunks and its flat, horny feet were as long as a small man was tall. Its skin was grey and tough-looking, like a that of a rhinoceros, and it dragged along a massive wooden club. The only thing small about the troll was its small, bald head. Harry, Ron, and Ranma all held their breaths, hoping it would not hear them.

The troll stopped at a doorway and peered inside. After pausing a moment to consider, it slowly lumbered into the room. "The key's in the lock. We could lock it in." muttered Harry. They looked at each other and nodded.

"I'll do it." Ranma whispered. He flitted over to the door and grabbed the key, slammed the door, and locked it. He turned around but stopped abruptly. He felt, not one, but two magical auras, and one was significantly smaller than the troll. And then a horrible thought occurred to him. Surely this wasn't...

A high-pitched, blood-curdling scream echoed from behind the door, and Ranma felt, for a moment, as if his heart had stopped. "HERMIONE!" he yelled, whipping around and charging at the door.

A swift kick knocked the door off its hinges. Inside he saw Hermione pressing against the far wall, looking ready to faint. The troll slowly advanced on her, it's club knocking the sinks off the wall. Ranma did not pause to consider the stupidity of attacking the troll, that he was a third of its height and a tenth of its weight. His only thought was that, if he did not do something, Hermione was going to be killed. He charged at the troll, yelling, "Run Hermione!"

He leaped at it, aiming a side kick at it's lower back. The blow landed with a loud thump but also, to Ranma's surprise and pain, a barely audible crack. He landed and rolled away, barely registering the roar of pain from the troll for the pain in his right heel. The foot supported his weight, but just barely so. The troll had turned around and was now looking at him with unmitigated rage. It raised its club and swung at him with terrifying speed. Ranma rolled away with only inches to spare, thinking that only his training had saved him from being pounded into the ground. He sprang up and pushed hard off the ground, then ran the rest of the way up it's chest and sent a hard straight punch into its face.

His hand erupted in pain. As he kicked away from the monster, it reeled and roared with pain again, flailing at him with the club as he fell. Ranma's feet had hardly touched the ground when he saw the club bearing down on him from the side, too close to escape. As quickly as he could, he gathered ki into his arms and legs and tried to roll with the blow. The club lifted him off the ground and sent him hurtling into the cubicles.

It was pain like he had not felt in a long time. His entire body felt battered. It hurt to breathe and, when he tried to lift himself up, he nearly collapsed from the pain in his shoulder. Ranma's ears were ringing and his head swam, threatening to send him into unconsciousness. He heard muffled yelling and it brought him back into focus. Looking up from where he lay, he saw Ron throwing things at the troll while Harry edged around it.

Ranma shook his head and, ignoring his body's protests, lifted himself to his feet. He pushed as hard as he could and covered the distance in two steps. He jumped, stepped off its chest, then flipped backwards, kicking the troll savagely under its chin. There was an loud snap and Ranma knew that his right leg was broken. He landed as lightly as possible on his left foot and limped towards Ron.

"Blimey, Ranma, you look like hell." he said, looking very scared and slightly sick.

Ranma collapsed beside him. "Harry, Hermione..." he said, sounding exhausted and agonized.

"They're – oh no..."

The troll was in a frenzy and Ranma immediately saw why. Harry had foolishly jumped on its back and had his wand stuck up the troll's nose. It twisted and flailed its club while Harry held on for dear life. It was only a matter of time before he was thrown off or the club found its target.

Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright and Ron had pulled out his wand. But Ron did not know a spell that would be useful in this situation. They were all going to die if Ranma did not do something.

Ki began to flow more strongly through his body, stronger than it ever had. The pain in his right leg and hand became a dull ache, and he felt powerful. In a step he was beside the troll. He poured ki into his left elbow, jumped, and buried it in the monster's solar plexus. A split second later he heard Ron yell, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_", and Ranma felt magical energy erupt from Ron's wand. The troll doubled over and retched while Ranma rolled away. He looked up in time to see the giant club descend from the ceiling and land with a sickening crunch on the back of the troll's head.

The four held their breath, wondering if it would get up. "Is it dead?" asked Ranma after a few moments.

"Yeah, I think so." said Ron, looking at the pool of blood forming around its head.

"Okay, good." Ranma said. He promptly collapsed.

"Ranma!" yelled Harry, Ron, and Hermione in unison. They rushed over to him and kneeled next to him. Tears began to run down Hermione's face. Harry and Ron looked at him grimly.

"I must look terrible." Ranma said with a pained grin. He jabbed six spots on his body and felt immediate relief. "Hermione, why are you crying?"

She sobbed and grabbed his good hand. "You could've died! Why'd you – "

"Because you were in danger." he said simply. "If that thing had killed you -"

Quick footsteps interrupted him. He realized that the fight must have been very loud and that someone must have heard them. Ron and Harry stood up quickly and faced the door. Professor McGonagall burst into the room, followed by Snape and Quirrell. The Defense teacher took one look at the troll then sat down on a toilet, clutching his heart. Snape, meanwhile, had bent over to examine the troll.

McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry, her expression angrier than Ranma had ever seen. "What on earth were you thinking of?" she demanded angrily. "You're lucky you weren't –"

She stopped short, her eyes falling on Hermione and Ranma, and she gasped. "Miss Granger...Mr. Saotome!" her face went from angry to alarmed in a second.

"Professor, I think I should go to the hospital wing." Ranma said as calmly as possible.

"Yes, I think...that would be best." she said, her voice rather higher than normal. She magicked a stretcher beneath him and levitated it. "Severus, please inform the headmaster that the troll is dead. I shall take Saotome to the hospital wing. Professor Quirrell, please escort the other three back to Gryffindor tower."

Against all reason, Harry, Ron, and Hermione began protesting. "We want to make sure Ranma's all right!" said Harry.

"Madame Pomfrey is an excellent healer. I assure you she will take care of him." said Professor McGonagall, but they would not be satisfied. "Very well, very well, but I expect to hear the truth about why you four were foolish enough to take on a full grown mountain troll."

They were silent all the way to the hospital wing. Ranma was hoping they could get a convincing story together but he was doubtful.

Madame Pomfrey, it transpired, _wa_s an excellent healer, but, like a hen-pecking mother, she scolded the four of them roundly as she tended to Ranma. Though everyone else was stunned to hear it, Ranma was not at all surprised at his injuries: a fractured shin, a fractured heel, a dislocated ankle, a fractured wrist, four broken fingers, a dislocated elbow, three fractured ribs, and a fractured collarbone, along with various cuts and bruises. He was no stranger to having a laundry list of injuries.

A major benefit of magic was that, despite the severity of his injuries, Madame Pomfrey was able to heal them within a half hour. "It's a miracle the four of you weren't killed. You got off light, in my opinion. A mountain troll...I _ask _you!" she said after passing her wand over him a final time. "That will do, I think."

Ranma jabbed six more points on his body, undoing the numbing acupressure he had performed on himself earlier. He felt only a lingering ache and a slight stiffness. He stretched and flexed his arms and legs just to be sure everything was back in order. Very suddenly, Ranma felt like eating a ton. There was, however, still Professor McGonagall to deal with.

"Now that Saotome's injuries are sorted out, I want to know why you four were in a bathroom fighting that troll instead of in Gryffindor tower." she said sternly.

Ron, Ranma, and Harry had all opened their mouths to talk, having each come up with a plausible story that might get them out of trouble. Hermione, however, beat them to it. "Please, professor – they were looking for me. I went looking for the troll because I thought I could deal with it on my own – you know, because I've read about them and all. If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead. They fought with it until Ranma knocked it over and Ron dropped its club on its head."

It was an understatement to say that Ranma, Harry, and Ron were floored. Hermione was telling a lie to a teacher...to save them? They made sure to nod and look like her story was not new to them. "Well, in that case..." said Professor McGonagall, looking at them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own? And it nearly got Saotome killed. I'm very disappointed in you, Miss Granger, and twenty points will be taken from Gryffindor for this. You may return to Gryffindor Tower; students are finishing the feast in their houses."

Hermione hung her head but did not protest. After she had left, Professor McGonagall turned to the rest of them. "You were all very lucky, especially you, Mr. Saotome. Not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. I'm awarding you each ten points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."

"We should have gotten more points than that." Ron grumbled as they hurried back to Gryffindor tower. "It's only ten when you take off Hermione's points."

"Never thought she'd lie like that. Saved our skin, she did." said Ranma. "Of course, we did save hers..."

"...After we'd locked the troll in with her." Harry reminded him.

"Good point." Ranma replied.

"Pig snout." said Ron. They had arrived at the Fat Lady's portrait. Inside, the common room was packed and noisy and everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. After an embarrassed pause, they all mumbled "Thanks" and hurried off to get food. From that day forward, not only was she Ranma's friend, but Hermione was also friends with Harry and Ron. Hermione and Ranma never mentioned their row; the episode with the troll, it seemed, was apology enough.

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 9: Quidditch and the Forbidden Forest  
**

There are only **7** chapters remaining in Book 1...

Author's Notes:

Another two weeks, another chapter, and a long one at that. I get the feeling it won't be the longest one in this book. Anyway, you may have noticed more than half of the chapter was non-canon (and the canon was changed...), so I'll be a little deaf to anyone moaning about retreading material. I hope you were all paying attention, as there are some interesting clues in there that play out further down the line. Also, another of Ranma's major flaws has been revealed and we're treated to some classic Ranma actions. We're now past the halfway point and are moving into more non-canon material, the source of which has been hinted at in the last chapter. If you're tired of me following the book to closely, you may be interested in the next chapter.

As always, special thanks to Ed and Kim. Thanks reviewers, especially Onikami-no-Shinobi (I had to really stop myself from making a post about your comment on chapter 7; this chapter should be a good enough response). And, of course, thanks to everyone else who gives this a look, I'd love to see a comment if you have a minute. Please direct questions to my forum for this story.

Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section!


	9. Quidditch and the Forbidden Forest

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: Please note that this chapter contains excerpts from and is inspired by Chapter 11 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits).

**Chapter 9: Quidditch and the Forbidden Forest**

Hogwarts was abuzz with rumors the next day, amazingly accurate ones at that. Well, accurate to a point, as most people were saying that Harry had been the one to defeat the troll. After hearing this all morning, Ranma was more than ready to set the record straight, feeling that credit should have been given where it was due. Privately, he thought that Harry had been only slightly more helpful than Hermione during the fight, so how he had somehow been named as the troll's slayer was a mystery. As it turned out, he was beaten to it by Ron, who finally broke under Fred and George's pressure and told the whole story. This changed the focus of attention from Harry to Ron and, even more so, Ranma. Harry, surprisingly, seemed rather glad of it, explaining that it was quite enough being famous for one thing already.

With all the excitement of the previous evening and the attention he received (thanks to Ron), it very nearly slipped Ranma's mind that he had promised Dumbledore to report any developments regarding his magical energy. After hearing Ron recount the end of the fight for the tenth time (this time with Ron dazzling the troll with exotic hexes while everyone else gibbered incoherently), he remembered that something very strange had happened just before the troll had been killed. For maybe half a minute, his ki seemed to grow beyond anything he had ever experienced. Now that he had time to actually think about it, though, he realized that he had been mistaken. Ki _and_ magical energy had been coursing through his body, somehow feeding off each other. Though he could not yet explain it, Ranma felt certain that Dumbledore would want to hear about it.

Since it was Friday and he had the afternoon off, Ranma headed for Professor McGonagall's office. He knocked several times but, when she did not answer, he realized that she must have been in class at that moment. Since the period was almost over, he decided to wait for her at the Transfiguration classroom and hope that she had a moment to spare. When the bell rang to signal the end of class, he waited next to the door while the class filed out. Some of the class, whom he recognized as sixth year Gryffindors, said "All right, Saotome?" and nodded at him as he stood awkwardly by. The whole business of being recognized and acknowledged by upperclassmen was going to take some getting used to.

Finally, Professor McGonagall herself emerged from the classroom, a stack of books floating along behind her. She saw Ranma standing next to the door and raised her eyebrow at him. "May I help you with something, Mr. Saotome?"

"Yes, Professor." Ranma replied. "Could I have a word?"

"Certainly, and it happens that I would also like a word. But we'll have to talk on the way to the faculty lounge." she said as she started down the corridor.

"Okay." Ranma said as he followed, wondering what she wanted to talk about. "See, Professor Dumbledore asked me to talk to you if I had any news about my magic sensing."

"I am aware of it." she replied. "I assume you have some progress to report?"

"Not exactly, no. It's about what happened last night. Something happened when we were fighting that troll, but I can't really explain what it was. Right before we killed it, I had a sudden surge of ki that I used to attack the troll."

"I see." she said. "This is not surprising, considering your ability to use ki."

Ranma shook his head. "No, Professor, it _is_ surprising, to me at least. I was tired and hurt. My ki was very low and I was close to passing out. But when I needed to do something, my ki was suddenly _stronger than it's ever been_." he said, hoping she understood his emphasis. "I didn't really think about it at the time, obviously, and I only just realized that it wasn't just my ki but also my magical energy."

Professor McGonagall stopped short and gave him a penetrating look. "You were manipulating them simultaneously?" she asked.

"Yeah, but...I can't remember doing it on purpose. It just happened." he responded. "It was like the two were feeding off each other, making each other bigger."

She looked distant and thoughtful for a moment before looking at him again. "I can't begin to imagine what this means, but I will inform the headmaster of what you've told me."

"Thanks, Professor." Ranma said, feeling oddly relieved to have this concern off his chest.

"Now then, speaking of the troll, I have heard rumors going around about it, the details of which Mrs. Granger apparently glossed over. Is it true that you fought it with your bare hands?"

"Well, yes. I couldn't very well have a go at it with my wand." said Ranma, trying not to notice that students in the hall were walking rather slowly to listen in.

"No, I suppose not. I must tell you, Mr. Saotome, that you continue to surprise me. A grown man would have been foolish to attempt what you did. If you had told me two days ago that you had attacked a troll with your fists, I'd have called you a dangerous fool. However," she stopped to look at him again, this time with a barely disguised mix of pride and approval, "it seems you were not outmatched."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Mr. Weasley's levitation of that club simply put the troll out of its misery. We examined the creature and found that it had major damage to its internal organs; it would have died eventually from internal bleeding. Additionally, there was some damage to its face and deep bruising elsewhere on its body."

Ranma was dumbfounded. This did not match up with the way he remembered the fight. "But Professor, that's not possible. That thing was the hardest thing I've ever hit. I broke bones every time I hit it and it didn't look like it took any damage."

"Well of course you broke bones. Haven't you read anything about trolls?" She looked sternly at him when he shook his head. "I suggest you take more time in your study of magical creatures. Trolls, like dragons, are renowned for being incredibly tough. They're highly magical creatures; most of the magic is in their skin, bones, and muscles, which makes them resistant to both physical and magical attack."

"I see..." Ranma said thoughtfully. This explained why hitting the troll had felt like striking a moving car head on. "Then, Professor, how was I able to hurt it?"

"That, unfortunately, I do not know. Perhaps you are stronger than you realize." she replied. Ranma was not sure he believed this. He had never broken bones so badly before, even when striking rock or metal. There was surely a detail about the fight he had overlooked that would help him understand. "Which brings me to the reason I mentioned the troll. Unlike your curse, we were not made aware of your strength or fighting ability prior to your arrival."

"Well my mum talked to me about not getting into fights before I came here. But I've never been in a fight at school, Professor." This was perfectly true; off school property, though, was a completely different story.

"Be that as it may, Mr. Saotome, I must warn you against fighting here at Hogwarts and impress upon you the severity of the consequences if you were to engage in such activity. Considering the incidence with the troll, you are probably the strongest person at this school, next to Hagrid, and you could cause serious harm to another student. We have a strict policy for fighting but, in your case, I'm afraid you would face expulsion if you were to fight with another student."

"But Professor, what if I'm attacked? I can't defend myself?"

"I don't think you will face anyone foolish enough to attack you but, if they do, you must not retaliate."

Ranma thought she was being very unfair, even if she did have a point. "Professor, what if I subdue them? I know a few styles that specialize in stopping an attacker without actually hurting them." he said hopefully.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "I think that could be a mitigating factor, but I would prefer if you avoided fighting altogether." she said pointedly as she continued down the corridor. "Good day to you, Mr. Saotome."

"Good afternoon, Professor." said Ranma. She had not mentioned it specifically, but he was pretty sure the faculty would not look kindly on him retaliating physically against magical attacks either. Not that Ranma was planning to; at the rate things were going, he'd be able to perform magic properly before anyone was near fast enough to actually hit him with a spell.

Ranma told Harry, Ron, and Hermione about it over dinner but, as almost everyone around him had listened in the moment he had said the word "troll", Ranma knew the story would be around the castle the next day. Harry and Ron, like him, had been stunned with disbelief at the news, but Hermione was not totally surprised.

"Well, I don't know why you're surprised. Whatever you did to it made it vomit blood. That pool of blood it was lying in wasn't just from its head." she said knowingly, but she still shot an impressed look sideways at him . "But still, it's really hard to kill a troll, and with your bare hands it should be impossible."

"Blimey, mate, we knew you were strong, but not _that_ strong." Ron said with something akin to awe in his voice.

"Yeah, that is pretty amazing. I know who to go to for heavy lifting now." said Harry with a grin. "I suppose it'll keep the Slytherins in line, so Fred and George don't have anything to worry about."

"Yeah, they'd have to be pretty thick to start trouble with a troll slayer." chuckled Ron.

"Ron, of course they'll start trouble, especially since Ranma can't actually do any-" Hermione stopped abruptly and covered her mouth, looking embarrassed. "I mean-"

Ranma felt heat rising to his cheeks; for some reason, it was even more embarrassing to have Hermione acknowledge his poor spellcasting. He took a calming breath, looked to his right at her, and grinned. "It's okay, Hermione. It's not exactly a secret that I'm no good with a wand." he said.

"I'm sorry, Ranma, that was really tactless of me-"

"Yeah, it was." he deadpanned before giving a reassuring grin. "Really, it's okay. I'm not exactly defenseless, am I? Ron's right though, they're not stupid enough to try anything. They were scared enough of me _before_ last night."

After dinner, as he made his way up to the dueling room, Ranma was still thinking over what Professor McGonagall had told him. He still had the feeling that he was overlooking something important about the fight with the troll but, whatever it was, it was just out of his reach.

"I wondered when you'd be along." Freya said as he walked into the dueling room and shut the door. She was looking at him with poorly disguised interest.

"Have you been waiting for me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. While she would sometimes hang around during his practice sessions and make conversation, she went out of her way to let him know that she was gracing him with her presence. He was pretty certain that she was actually happy for the company. The couple of months he had known her had shown Ranma that she was a loner with a strong and sometimes abrasive personality, who wanted friendship but also wanted to appear strong enough not to need it. He had met many people just like her among the elite martial artists of the world and, to some degree, knew that he was also like that.

"Of course I wasn't waiting for you. I just happened to be around and thought you might have been in here." she said curtly, though she sounded slightly embarrassed.

"Right. Well, I'm going to train, if you don't mind." Ranma said, though he could see that she wanted to talk more. He had a good idea what it was she wanted to talk about but figured she would eventually get around to what she wanted to say. He was just starting his warm up, some advanced tai chi forms, when he heard her clear her throat to get his attention.

"Yeah?" he said as he moved slowly through the first few movements.

"I've been hearing rather strange rumors floating about the castle." she said casually.

"Oh really?" he replied, nonchalantly. "What did you hear?"

"I heard that several first years almost got themselves killed by a mountain troll last night." she said, sounding rather eager.

"Really? I heard something like that too." Ranma said innocently, trying to keep a straight face. "Did you find out who it was?"

"Oh, come off it! You know very well who I'm talking about!" Freya said, firing a spell at him. He dodged the red bolt of magic without breaking his form or even seeming to move any faster. She growled with exasperation and fired off a dozen more spells at him and he had to scramble to dodge them.

"Okay, okay! You win!" he said, laughing. Freya looked flushed and very put out as she folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. He sat down on the dais and looked up at her portrait. "I suppose you heard I was in that bathroom, eh?"

"Yes, and I heard the most ridiculous thing. They say _you_ killed it." she said. "Imagine, a first year killing a troll."

"Well, I didn't kill it." said Ranma. Freya smirked knowingly from her frame. "I _helped_ kill it. Ron Weasley levitated it's club and it smashed the troll's skull in. If you ask me, though, that wasn't intentional. I think he was more surprised that the spell worked than that he'd killed the thing. If I hadn't made it double over-"

"So...so it's true then?" Freya looked incredulous. "You actually killed a troll? I've never heard of anyone your age foolish enough to take one on."

Ranma shrugged. "Hermione was in trouble. It was the right thing to do, you know? We couldn't very well let her get killed."

Freya looked at him with the same expression she'd had after their first "duel", a look of approval and respect. "I heard something else, but it's too preposterous..." she said slightly hesitantly. "You didn't – I heard you didn't use your wand – that you fought it with your bare hands."

"You heard right." Ranma responded with a complete lack of modesty.

"I wouldn't be so proud of that. You call yourself a wizard, why didn't you use your wand?" she asked disapprovingly.

"Well obviously because I don't know how to defend myself with this thing." he said, whipping out his wand. "I might as well've had a chopstick for all the good it would've done me."

"Well, we'll have to fix that." she said. "Really, _punching_ a troll. That was very stupid of you, you know. They're powerfully-"

"Magical, yeah, I know." he said ruefully. "But I did hurt it, so it wasn't all that stupid."

"And broke half the bones in your body in the process."

"Yeah." Ranma said thoughtfully. "You know, now you mention it, that's weird."

She barked a laugh. "Weird? What's weird is that you, an _eleven year old,_ didn't get killed. Trying to beat up a troll, honestly..."

"No, what I mean is it's weird I got hurt like that. My dad's much tougher and stronger than that thing was and it's been years since I've broken a bone hitting him." he said.

"Isn't your dad a Muggle?" asked Freya, and Ranma nodded. "Well, he doesn't very well have magical toughness, does he? He couldn't've trained you to deal with that."

"Yeah, but toughness is toughness." Ranma said stubbornly. "I don't see how there's any difference."

Freya shook her head gently, as if trying to explain something very, very basic. "But it's not the same. I could cast a spell on a piece of parchment to make it impossible for you to break it. The skin of trolls, giants, and dragons work similarly. The magic might blunt or break weapons attempting to cause the creature harm, or it might deflect hexes, or protect the creature from extreme cold." she said.

"Yeah, McGonagall said something like that." he said, more to himself than to Freya. "But Freya, if that's right, how did I manage to hurt it so badly? I mean, the magic was working and I was being hurt, but so was the troll."

She shrugged. "I have no clue, as I wasn't there, but you were obviously doing more than just hitting it. Whatever it was, it was interfering with the troll's magic."

At her words, something clicked in his mind and he stood up quickly as if a fire was lit beneath him. Ranma saw, with sudden clarity, what he had overlooked during the fight. "Of course...why didn't I see it before..." he muttered. It was only a guess but, if true, it would explain quite a bit, and Dumbledore would be very interested indeed. He would need to test his idea.

"Freya, I think I know what happened, and I could use your help proving it. First, though, I'll need some dragonhide..." he said with a focused look on his face, and she listened with increasing interest as he explained his plan.

As the weekend passed and classes resumed on Monday, Ranma was forced to push his plan to the back of his mind. November had brought with it icy cold weather and, to everyone's great excitement, the start of Quidditch season. Saturday was the first and, apparently, most anticipated match of the season: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Besides being the continuation of a heated rivalry stretching back centuries, the match also had implications for the house cup race, where Gryffindor would move into second place with a win.

Even if he had received the dragonhide he had asked his mother for, Ranma would still have been too busy to do anything with them. Oliver Wood was taking the match very seriously and scheduled practices at practically every free moment possible. Even though they wouldn't be playing, Wood required that the reserve players be at all practices as "practice dummies", and he worked them as hard as the regular players.

With all the Quidditch practice, both Ranma found it extremely fortunate that he and Hermione were back on good terms, as she helped him (and Ron and Harry, for that matter) out quite a bit with his homework. She had even checked out a book from the library called _Quidditch Through The Ages _and lent it to Harry so he could learn as much about the game as possible before his first match. In return, it seemed that their influence had relaxed her attitude about rule breaking quite a bit. Ron thought this was a marked improvement, saying that he could finally stop calling her "mini-McGonagall" in his head.

The day before the match, the four of them were out in the courtyard during break. Despite the freezing temperatures, they were fairly comfortable thanks to a bright blue fire Hermione had conjured in a jam jar. Conjuring small, controlled fires had become something of a specialty of hers and she was particularly proud of this one because blue fires was more advanced magic. They were standing with their backs to the fire when Snape crossed the courtyard, his gate uneven because he was limping.

The four of them instinctively moved to hide the fire; whether or not it was allowed, Ranma was sure that Snape would come up with some reason to take points away. They must have looked guilty because Snape altered his path to come to a stop in front of them. The way he stood, Ranma could see that his right leg was injured. Looking up at the teacher's face, he could tell that Snape was searching for a reason to tell them off, and Ranma couldn't help flashing a sardonic grin at the man. Snape's eyes widened and a small smile formed on his lips.

"What's that you've got there, Potter?" he asked coldly, pointing at the book in Harry's hands. "Library books are not to be taken outside the school. Give it to me. Five points from Gryffindor."

They were stunned with anger. "I've never heard of that rule." Ranma said challengingly as Harry shoved the book into Snape's outstretched hand.

"With all of the rules _you've _broken, Saotome, I should think you'd know the entire code of conduct by heart." Snape shot back with a sneer. "But I suggest you ask Madame Pince about the rules for library books before you scurry off to Professor McGonagall, moaning about how unfair I am."

Ranma felt his face flush, forcing himself not to respond. He did not relish the thought of two detentions that weekend. When no reply came, Snape limped off with an infuriating smirk on his face.

"I bet he made that rule up." Harry muttered angrily as the man limped off "Wonder what's wrong with his leg."

"Dunno, but I hope it hurts." said Ron bitterly. The other three grunted their wholehearted agreement with his sentiment.

The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. Everyone was excitedly anticipating the next day's match and they milled about, clapping the members of the team on their backs and giving them encouraging words. This constant interruption rather annoyed Hermione, who was sitting with Ranma, Harry, and Ron, looking over their Charms homework. She huffed impatiently and muttered to herself as she tried to concentrate.

"Calm down, Hermione. You don't hear Ranma complaining." said Ron.

"I should be, as bad as these essays are." Ranma joked, looking up from Harry and Ron's Potions homework. "What's the matter, Harry?"

Harry was tapping his foot restlessly and looking around the common room with an increasingly dark look on his face. "Nothing. I just wish I had that book back. Snape had no right to take it from me." he said. He stood suddenly. "I'm going to go get it from him."

Ranma nodded encouragingly. He had been wondering when or if Harry was going to stand up to Snape again. Hermione and Ron, though, looked at Harry as if he were mad. "Better you than me." they said simultaneously.

Ranma chuckled at their reactions. "Don't listen to them," he said to Harry. "He'll have give it back if there are other teachers around."

When Harry had left, Hermione kicked Ranma in the shin. "Don't go getting Harry in trouble like you." she said sternly.

"Hey, he's not going to get in trouble just because he's trying to get a book back." Ranma said defensively, rubbing his leg.

"I dunno, mate, knowing Snape, he'll be looking for an excuse to keep Harry from playing. He's head of Slytherin after all." said Ron.

Ranma had not thought of this, but surely the other teachers would not let such unfairness stand. The way things went at Hogwarts, however, Ranma could not be so sure. All the same, he breathed a bit easier when Harry came back to the common room five minutes later. "How'd it go?" he asked as Harry sat down, looking oddly satisfied and, conversely, slightly worried. "What's wrong?"

He leaned in, and spoke quietly. "I found out why Snape's been limping. I went into the staffroom to get the book and he was standing there with his robes pulled up to his knees. One of his legs looked chewed up and bloody, and Filch was giving him bandages for it."

"Good for him." said Ranma sourly.

"No, it isn't good. You should've heard what he said. 'How are you supposed to keep your eyes on _all three heads at once_.'"

The other three looked at him for a moment before comprehension spread among them. "You don't think...that dog?" said Ron.

"Yeah, I do. Remember, we saw him rushing towards the third floor on Halloween. He tried to get past that dog that night! He's after whatever it's guarding, and I'd bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to make a diversion!"

Ranma sat up a little straighter. This did seem very suspicious, and Snape could not have been talking about anything _but_ the three headed dog.

"No – he wouldn't". said Hermione, her eyes wide. "He's not very nice, but he's a teacher. He wouldn't try to steal something Dumbledore was trying to keep safe."

"I dunno, Hermione, it's really suspicious." Ranma said, rubbing his chin. "It can't be just Snape, though, because Filch was in there when Snape mentioned the dog."

"I don't believe it." Hermione stated firmly. "You're seriously saying that the caretaker and a teacher are trying to steal whatever Dumbledore's guarding? You're both just suspicious because you don't like Snape and Filch."

"Just because we don't like Snape doesn't mean he's not up to something, Hermione." snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry and Ranma. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?"

Saturday dawned, pushing speculation of Snape and the three-headed dog to the back of their minds. Ahead was a brisk morning and the highly anticipated first Quidditch match of the season. The Great Hall was, unlike most Saturdays, filled with excited chatter. Harry, however, did not look anywhere near as cheerful as everyone around him. In fact, he looked like he might be sick. His plate was filled with food and completely untouched.

"You've got to eat something, mate." Ron said, sounding slightly worried.

"I'm not hungry."

"Just a bit of toast." Hermione insisted, nudging a piece at him.

"No, I don't want anything."

"C'mon, Harry, you need your strength." said Seamus. "Seekers always get clobbered by the other team."

"_Thank you_, Seamus." Ranma shot the boy an annoyed look. "Don't listen to him, you'll be brilliant. But you should eat something. All your skill won't help you if you've got no energy to stay on the broom."

Harry shrugged, looking slightly green. "I'll be okay." he said quietly.

It seemed that the entire school had turned out for the match. Ranma joined Hermione, Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean in the top row of the Gryffindor section. Together, they unfurled a large banner, made from a bedsheet, on which Dean had painted a large Gryffindor lion beneath the heading "Potter for President". Hermione added her own touch by casting a charm on it to make the paint change colors.

Finally, the players entered the pitch to wild cheers. Madame Hooch, the referee for the game, followed close behind. As the stands were very high, the players looked rather small, but Harry looked even smaller. Ranma thought he could see nervousness in the way Harry walked. All the practicing was over and Ranma knew that it was time for Harry to either sink or swim.

The players and Madame Hooch mounted their brooms and lifted into the air and a short blast of Madame Hooch's whistle started the match. Everything became something of a blur, but Ranma had trained his eyes for the speedy game and, despite not having binoculars, was following the game closely. He could hear Lee Jordan doing the commentary but found it distracting and tuned it out. Instead, he focused on Fred, George, and the two opposing Beaters. This was the first time he would get to see Beaters in real competition and he wanted to learn as much as possible (especially on the off chance that the Weasley twins really _were_ sabotaging his training).

It was amazing to see the skill with which the four Beaters swatted the two bludgers around the pitch. They did not simply hit the bludgers at Chasers, they seemed to want to unseat the opposing players from their brooms. More interestingly, they passed the bludgers between themselves to increase the momentum of their strikes and trick their targets. Ranma was so caught up in watching the bludgers fly that he did not see the first goal.

"GRYFFINDORS SCORE!" Lee's voice reverberated around the stadium. The Gryffindor side exploded with cheer. "Way to fake out the Keeper, Johnson continues to impress."

"Budge up there, move along." Ranma heard a gruff voice say as play resumed.

"Hagrid!" Ranma, Hermione, and Ron said simultaneously. The large man was shuffling his way down the row and it was a very tight fit. They squeezed together to give him a place to sit.

"Bin watchin' from me hut." he said, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck. "No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?"

"Nope, Harry hasn't had much to do yet." replied Ron.

"Kept outta trouble though, that's something." grunted Hagrid.

Play continued. There was exciting moment where Harry and the Slytherin Seeker chased after the snitch, but Harry's catch was broken up by a foul from Marcus Flint. But it was after Marcus Flint scored a goal for Slytherin that Hagrid noticed something was wrong with Harry.

"Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing." Hagrid mumbled as he stared upwards through his binoculars. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom...but he can't have..."

Ranma's eyes followed the direction that Hagrid's binoculars were facing. Others in the crowd had also noticed. Harry's broom was spinning around and, with a sudden jerk, tossed him off. The whole crowd gasped as he hung on by the fingertips of his right hand. Ranma instinctively jumped to his feet, feeling a knot tighten in his stomach.

"Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered.

"Can't have." said Hagrid, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful dark magic – no kid could do that to a Nimbus 2000."

Hermione grabbed Hagrid's binoculars and frantically searched the crowd. Ranma wondered what she was looking for. "I knew it!" she gasped. "Snape – look."

Ranma seized the binoculars and looked in the direction she pointed. Snape was on his feet, eyes fixed on Harry and muttering under his breath. "He's jinxing the broom!" Ranma said furiously, thrusting the binoculars into Ron's hands.

"Exactly." Hermione agreed, looking outraged.

"What should we do?" asked Ron after he, too, had confirmed what they had seen.

"Leave it to me." Ranma and Hermione said at the same time. They looked at each other and nodded, their eyes blazing. Ranma grabbed her about the waist.

"Hold on, we're going down." he said. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. With a short but powerful hop, he sent them over the railing. He swung on a support beam with his free hand, and hopped down on the girders beneath the stands. They hit the ground lightly and he realized why Hermione had been quiet during the descent; she had been holding on tightly with her eyes closed. "You can let go, Hermione." he said, feeling a bit warm in the cheeks.

She let go of him, looking embarrassed. "Sorry."

They rushed over to the Slytherin side and shoved their way up the stands towards Snape. Ranma was surprised that no one accosted him, but everyone was too focused on the activity in the air to notice them. "There he is." Ranma said angrily, cracking his knuckles. "I'll get him."

"No! Ranma, no, you'll get expelled!" Hermione exclaimed. "Let me, I won't be seen."

She rushed off up to the next row. Ranma could feel the magical energy pouring from Snape, and he was so focused on the Potions Master that he almost did not notice another, stronger magical aura almost right next to Snape. Before he could find the source, though, the energy disappeared. He saw Hermione stop behind Snape and shoot bright blue flames at his robes.

Snape yelped when he felt the heat, as if shocked out of a trance by a hard punch in the face. It's job done, Hermione scooped the fire into a small jar and stuffed it into her pocket, then scrambled back down the row before anyone could spot her. "Quick, over the side before someone notices us." she said almost breathlessly. Ranma nearly did a double take at her as she pulled him up to the top row. Hermione held on tightly as they went over the top rail again and descended to the ground. They ran back up to the top row of the Gryffindor side as quickly as they could.

"It worked!" Ron exclaimed. "Harry's back on his broom, look!"

He was indeed, and was rocketing towards the ground, the Slytherin Seeker trying but failing to keep on his tail. Twenty feet from the ground he suddenly clapped his hand over his mouth, as if he were going to be sick. Harry hit the field on all fours and shook slightly, then waved his hand in the air. Ranma could see a glint of gold in his hand.

"Potter's got the Snitch!" shouted Lee gleefully. "Gryffindor wins, one hundred and seventy to sixty!"

Amid all the confusion of the match's end, Harry was ushered away from the stadium by Ron, Hermione, Ranma, and Hagrid. They went to Hagrid's hut, a small, one room wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. Hagrid set down a mug of strong tea in front of Harry, who was only just recovering from the match.

"It was Snape." explained Ron. "We saw him cursing your broomstick-"

"I don't think it was just Snape." Ranma interjected, remembering what had happened on the Slytherin side. "There was someone else doing magic up there.

Hermione looked astonished. "There was? Another student?"

"It might've been Filch." volunteered Ron.

Ranma shook his head. "No way, this person was too powerful. But I didn't get a look at whoever it was."

"But how do you know, Ranma?" asked Hermione. "I didn't see anyone else up there doing magic."

"I don't know how, but I felt it." he lied.

"If what you say is true, this means Snape has a partner." Harry concluded.

"Rubbish." said Hagrid, shaking his shaggy head. His eyes had grown wide as he listened to their conversation. "Why would Snape do something like that?"

Harry looked at Ranma, Hermione, and Ron, and they nodded at him. "I found out something about him." he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he's trying to steal whatever its guarding."

Hagrid dropped his teapot. "How do you know about Fluffy?" he said.

"_Fluffy?"_ the four of them asked incredulously. Ranma could not think of a less appropriate name for that dog.

"Yeah – he's mine – bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year – I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the -"

"Yes?" said Harry eagerly.

"Now don't ask me anymore." said Hagrid gruffly. "That's top secret, that is."

"But Snape's trying to _steal_ it" Harry protested.

"Rubbish." Hagrid said stubbornly. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort."

"So why'd he just try to kill Harry?" cried Hermione fiercely. "I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them. You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all!"

Ranma nodded in agreement, remembering the section in their Charms book about jinxes and...counter-jinxes. Before he could finish the thought, Hagrid rising voice jarred him back to the conversation at hand.

"I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now listen, you four, you're meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. You forget Fluffy, an' you forget what he's guardin, that's between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel -"

"Ah!" exclaimed Harry triumphantly. "So there's someone named Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?"

The common room was alive with celebration that evening. Ranma, Harry, Hermione, and Ron had sequestered themselves in a corner, where the was enough privacy for them to have a conversation without from prying ears listening in. "I still can't believe Snape tried to kill you." said Hermione.

"Yeah, he would've if it wasn't for you and Ranma." said Harry. "I owe you guys."

"It was nothing." Ranma said. "But that is strange, him trying to kill you out in the open like that."

"He probably thought no one would see him in the crowd." said Ron. "Good thing Hermione's got sharp eyes."

"And what about the other person?" said Harry. "Who else is Snape working with?"

"Well, that person might've been helping you, Harry." Hermione said. "They could have been saying a counter-jinx."

"Yeah, but who? If it wasn't a student, it had to have been a teacher." said Ranma

Ron nodded. "And the only other teacher over there was..?"

Ranma remembered watching Hermione pushing along the row above Snape and knocking someone over. Someone wearing a large, almost comical turban. "Professor Quirrell!" he and Hermione said simultaneously.

"Yeah, that makes sense, he is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Harry said. "He _would_ know how to counter a jinx, wouldn't he?"

"He might've been helping Snape too." Ranma added skeptically. "We can't be sure of that."

"Come on, Ranma, this is Quirrell we're talking about." Ron said dismissively. "I'm surprised the bloke had the courage to take on Snape. Probably didn't realize it was him."

Ranma thought keeping an open mind about Quirrell was a good idea but, in all honesty, he doubted the man had it in him to try and kill Harry. "Okay, so what do we do about Snape?" he asked.

They were silent for a moment. "I don't think we _can_ do anything." Hermione admitted. "If Hagrid won't believe us, what's the chance another teacher will?"

"And most people were looking at Harry almost get chucked off his broom. I think we're the only ones who caught Snape in the act." Ron added sullenly.

"So we just let him get away with it then?" Ranma said disbelievingly.

"We'll keep an eye on him." Harry replied, sounding unusually restrained, considering what the man had done. "I don't think Snape'll try anything else out in the open. I just have to avoid being alone with him."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them that seemed all the more awkward with the noise of the common room.

"So..." Ron began, trying to start a less uncomfortable thread of conversation, "what about this Nicolas Flamel?"

Hermione seized on this; she had clearly been thinking about it quite a bit since they had left Hagrid's. "Right, I thought about that, and I seem to remember his name from somewhere, but I'm not sure where. Whoever he is, he's got to be someone important."

"How do you figure that?" asked Harry.

"He's associated with Dumbledore, for one, and he's got something to do with whatever Fluffy's guarding. It must be something really valuable or important to be under guard here at Hogwarts." she replied. "If we find out who he is, we might find out what's being kept in the third floor corridor."

"Makes sense." Ranma said. "So where do we find Flamel?"

"Simple." Hermione responded, her face alight with the excitement only a bookworm could know. "We'll look in the library."

From that day forward, the four of them could be found with their noses in their books at any free moment, and their group was a regular fixture in the library. Hermione and Ron did the bulk of the research, as Harry and Ranma had other requirements on their time. This was even more true for Ranma, who had received a large package from Nodoka the day after the Quidditch match. Besides the dragonhide he had asked for, there was also a long letter in which his mother had both chastised him and expressed her pride over what happened at Halloween. Remembering how frightening the woman could be when she was angry, Ranma breathed a bit easier knowing she was not upset at him over that incident.

The package was bigger than the usual packages sent by owl post and, being delivered by six burly barn owls, it caused quite a stir in the Great Hall. Despite the endless questions about it, Ranma remained secretive about the package's contents, though he did eventually reveal to Ron, Harry, and Hermione that it was a long roll of high quality dragonhide. Somehow, the Weasley twins also discovered this fact and pressed him continuously about what he needed the expensive material for, to which he would only say that he was "trying an experiment."

The idea for the experiment in question had come to him suddenly, a week earlier, when Freya had suggested that he had, somehow, interfered with the troll's magic during the fight in the bathroom. When he really thought back on the fight, he realized that the serious injuries the troll had suffered all happened when he had focused his ki into his strikes. The most devastating of these blows, the elbow which damaged its internal organs, was strongly charged with ki. It seemed logical to assume that the ki had somehow disrupted the troll's magic, but Ranma needed another magically resilient creature to test the theory. Or, more conveniently, he needed the skin of such a creature.

Ranma had guessed correctly that Freya would be most helpful in his experiment. Besides her extensive magical skills, particularly Charms and Transfiguration, she was uncannily knowledgeable about magical hides. "Body armor. It pays to know the best material for that job." she explained. "Now dragonhide is nice and tough, not the strongest available, but it's right for the price. It reflects all but the strongest spells and is almost impossible to pierce, rip, or tear."

"Yeah, but if you wrap something, say a glass bottle, in it, will it protect the bottle?"

"It should, depending on the age of the dragonhide. Newer is always better, as the magic is stronger the closer you are to the dragon's death." Freya responded.

With this in mind, Ranma set up his experiment. Using the magical shears, needle, and dragon sinew thread included in the package, he managed to sew a large punching bag, inside of which he placed concrete cinder blocks that Freya had transfigured for him. "I can break those blocks pretty easily normally." he explained to her. "So, if the dragonhide works correctly, and I don't use my ki, hitting the bag won't damage the blocks no matter how hard I hit it."

Freya nodded. "And if this 'ki' of yours works against the dragonhide's magic, you can break the blocks inside?"

"Exactly." Ranma replied confidently.

Proving his idea turned out to be much easier said than done. The dragonhide worked as expected against his non-ki assisted punches, meaning he had to pull his punches to avoid breaking every bone below his elbow. Using ki against the bag, on the other hand, was almost counter-intuitive. The bag's magic aura was so strong and specific that it was very much like trying to pick a ten-pin lock in a split-second. Rather than becoming frustrated by this, however, Ranma thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

Finally, after two weeks of training, Ranma had a breakthrough, specifically through the punching bag. He disrupted the dragonhide's magic in spectacular fashion, reducing the cinder blocks inside to dust and opening a rip the size of his fist in the bag. "Yatta!" Ranma exclaimed, doing a backflip in his excitement. It had worked; he had proved that ki could disrupt magic. But his elation was short lived, as he sank to the ground, feeling suddenly drained. As handy as the skill was, it was also very costly.

"I-I've never seen someone pierce dragonhide without magic." Freya uttered disbelievingly, staring at the mound of dust slowly building beneath the bag. "This 'ki' you use is powerful magic."

"Dumbledore did say it was Muggle magic." Ranma replied slowly, feeling very tired. "Now to do that without collapsing..."

As November drew to a close, Ranma began to slowly see improvement. Using more of the dragonhide, he made a thick sleeve for a multi-armed practice dummy, which he had fashioned out of a dozen of the unused chairs in September. By not using ki, the dummy allowed him to toughen his other striking limbs and, alternately, he could practice focusing ki to the same limbs. He still could not strike the dummy at full power, but he could reliably disrupt it's magic aura more than half of the time. Ranma's confidence was so high that he jokingly bragged that his next training dummy would be a real dragon. Freya, who had been very impressed at his progress, laughed, but she tried to keep his expectations realistic. "Not to rain on your parade, but a live dragon's skin is at least three times more magical than the hide you've had to practice on. And I doubt one will sit still long enough to wait for you to get it right!"

Ranma arrived in the common room earlier than usual on the last Friday in November, feeling pleasantly tired after a productive training session. Spotting Hermione, Ron, and Harry (or rather, the mountain of books surrounding them) at their usual table, he walked over and fell into a seat beside Hermione. "Any luck?" he asked, perhaps a bit too cheerfully. The other three shot annoyed looks at him. "What?"

"Well, it would be nice if we had another set of eyes looking over these books." Hermione replied, sounding slightly put out.

"Hey, I'm helping..." Ranma said without much conviction. "...well, when I can."

"Your training, right?" Harry said, returning to the moldy book he was perusing. "What are you doing that for, anyway?

"I hadn't told you all about that? Blimey, I've been so busy that I forgot about that." Ranma said with a start. "Sorry 'bout that."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, then smiled reassuringly at Ranma. "It's quite all right." Hermione said. "So what _is_ this training of yours for anyway?"

"Right, well remember how badly I was hurt by the troll?" They nodded. "Well, I've been trying to toughen myself up, so that won't happen again."

They looked confused a moment. "But why bother?" asked Ron, looking at him as if he were mad. "I mean, you don't expect to fight trolls often, do you?"

"God, I hope not, it'd be really boring." Ranma said with a laugh. The other three were still grinning uncertainly at him. "Look, I might never fight another troll, but it won't hurt to be ready if I have to, right?"

"I suppose. But I don't think we're in danger of a troll attack any time soon, so you can take a break some time, yeah?" said Harry with a grin as he tossed a dusty old book at Ranma.

They were still at it long after the last person had gone to bed, but all that time seemed to make hardly any difference in their pile of books. "You guys go on to bed, I'm going to keep looking." Ranma told Harry, Ron, and Hermione after catching them nodding off for the tenth time. They mumbled their good-nights and shuffled off to the dormitories, leaving him to pore over the books.

A noise startled Ranma awake. He wiped his mouth and blinked his eyes, but saw only shadows from the dim light of the dying fire. His nascent magic sense, however, told him that he was not alone in the common room. Two people were creeping along the edge of the wall towards the portrait hole. They were so quiet that, without the magic sense, Ranma would have had to strain his ears to hear them at all.

Dim, flickering light illuminated the hole for a moment as the two people silently climbed out into the corridor. As the portrait swung closed, Ranma was seized by curiosity, wondering who was out of bed so let and what they were up to. He was determined to find out. In a flash, he had retrieved his winter robes, gloves, and a hat and scurried out of the portrait after them. The pair remained silent as they crept down the corridors like ghosts. Ranma followed them down the marble staircase, across the entrance hall, and out the front door.

The grounds were swathed in murky darkness. It was as cold as frozen steel outside but, thankfully, there was no wind, and the only sounds Ranma could hear were of the pair's footsteps on the frost-covered grass. The two seemed to know their way because, despite the oppressive darkness, they did not produce a light to guide them. They led the way towards Hagrid's hut but made a point to give it a wide berth. Finally, they turned and, without hesitation, entered the forbidden forest.

Ranma hesitated a moment at the edge of the forest, a feeling of foreboding creeping upon him. He followed along silently, keeping the pair within range of his magic sense because he could not see them in the pitch blackness. Finally, one of them broke the silence with a barely audible whisper. "Hold on, are we going the right way? Check the map."

"_Lumos_." the other person said quietly, and their wand washed the pair in soft, white light. Ranma was hardly surprised to see Fred and George Weasley. "I think we've gone astray. We should be going northeast."

"We've got to get a proper map." replied Fred, turning to orient himself with the correct direction. "Alright, let's go."

"_Nox_." whispered George, and they started forward again in darkness.

Ranma followed at a distance, wondering what on earth the twins were doing sneaking out into the forest in the dead of night. This was no minor mischief making; it was really dangerous, but he imagined that the journey must have been very important for them to risk the dangers of the forest. They continued on, making as little noise as possible. Finally, after several more stops to check directions, they stopped at the edge of a small clearing.

"Alright, let's get them." Ranma heard Fred whisper. The twins inched forward slowly, making barely a sound. They were just nearing the center of the clearing when Ranma heard a faint rustle, like the wind through the trees, except there was no wind. Suddenly, as if appearing from thin air, Ranma could sense ten, twenty, a hundred magical auras closing in on the clearing from all sides and even from the treetops. The twins seemed to sense their presence as well.

"Fred, we've got company." George said, sounding worried. Feeling vulnerable on the ground, Ranma scrambled up into a tree and noticed that stringy white ropes crossed the branches. Below, George and Fred lit their wands and cast them about, throwing light onto a terrible sight.

They were surrounded by spiders, giant, hairy spiders, a few as big as small cars, and each with an aura that spoke of magical resiliency. Their mouths clicked furiously and they crept along the edge of the clearing, sizing up the twins. One of them stepped forward into the clearing and, amazingly, began to speak. "Foolish humans, you dare come to pilfer our lair again!" it said angrily. "Our brood shall feast on your miserable bodies tonight!"

"Not bloody likely!" Fred shouted brazenly. "Come any closer and we'll set fire to your precious eggs!"

The spiders almost went into a frenzy as George pointed his wand at a large clump of webbing Ranma had mistaken for a shrub. "We're warning you, back up!" George said angrily, jabbing his wand at the eggs. The spiders got the point and backed out of the clearing. "All right Fred, gather some up."

The twins thought they had won, but Ranma knew better. He could hear noises overhead and, looking up, saw spiders descending from the trees above, to which Fred and George were completely oblivious. Before the thought was fully formed in his mind, he swung to the top of the tree and threw himself at the nearest spider.

"Over here, ugly!" he yelled, gathering ki into his leg and aiming a kick at the spider. Ranma felt the spider's aura fizzle as his ki slammed into it. Kicking off its carcass, he jumped to the next spider and repeated the ki filled kick. With each hop, Ranma left a dead spider swinging and, within fifteen seconds, they were all dead.

"Ranma!" The twins cried when he landed next to them. They looked both astonished and relieved to see him."What're you-"

"Never mind that." Ranma said, wincing slightly. His foot hurt badly, but he did not think it was broken. "I killed the ones trying to ambush you up there, but we've got to get out of here."

Outside the clearing, the spiders were reacting to the deaths of their brethren, clicking their mouths more angrily than before. "Ranma's right, they're about to go berserk." said George.

"Yeah, but how do we get away?" Fred asked, sounding frantic.

Ranma looked around for a way out, but they were completely surrounded and the only way he could see was through the treetops themselves. Even if Fred and George could follow him through the trees, he had a lurking suspicion that the spiders left that opening on purpose. No, they would have to smash their way out. "I'll clear a path, just follow me." he replied loudly over the angry clicking. "I hope you two know some good spells!"

Ranma rushed into the spiders headlong, trying his hardest to focus on their movements, the twins behind him, and penetrating the spiders' magical auras. One of the larger spiders reared up, swiping at him with its great, hairy legs. Ranma stepped inside its range and caught one of its legs, then turned on his right foot and shot a quick, ki infused kick into its body. The blow was devastating, sending it flying like a deflating balloon and ripping the leg Ranma still held clean off. He brandished it like a long staff, batting the smaller, dog-sized spiders away into the trees. Ranma's weapon did not last long, however, and as the magic dissipated it snapped. It had done it's job, though, and there were only a few spiders in their way.

"Hurry!" he shouted, sensing that the spiders were regrouping. Fred and George sprinted like mad past him, shooting spells that blew the spiders off their feet. Ranma could feel the spiders moving to surround them again, their eight legs giving them an advantage in speed. The trap was closing again and he knew that the twins simply could not run fast enough to escape. He only hoped that his throbbing feet could stand the stress he was about to put on them.

Ranma put on a burst of speed, pouring ki into his legs. He took a great leap, twisting in mid-air, and landed facing Fred and George. Not pausing for their startled reactions, he crouched, wrapped his arms around their waists, his shoulders in their stomachs, and picked them up. "Hold on, and keep your wands lit!" he yelled before turning around and running for his life.

The spiders were already ahead of them, waiting with open mouths, some spinning webs as quickly as they could. The circle around them was closing rapidly, and Ranma could see their chance for escape disappearing. His legs screamed in agony as he pushed them still harder, leaping over the spiders and hopping across their mass of bodies. Another strong surge from Ranma's legs shot them high in the air, through the center of an unfinished web, and out of the spiders' trap. He descended to the ground by rapidly slowing his fall on tree branches. He hit the ground and ran like he had never run before. Soon, the clicking and skittering of the spiders began to fade away until, eventually, the only sounds he heard were Fred and George's breathing and his own footfalls.

They were out of the forest and on the Hogwarts grounds before Ranma had realized it. He skidded to a halt near the Quidditch pitch, dropped Fred and George unceremoniously, and fell to the ground, gasping for breath. He vaguely realized that the light from the twins' wands had gone out.

"Blimey." he heard Fred say shakily. "That was – that was close..."

"Too close." George agreed. They were both breathing very heavily.

"_Lumos_." said George after a few minutes. He shined a light on Ranma, who looked unconscious. "Ranma, you all right?"

"Of course I'm not all right!" Ranma nearly shouted, his eyes flying open. He tried sitting up but his head swam, so he remained laying down. "What the bloody hell were you two thinking, going into an acromatula lair?"

"Keep it down, keep it down!" George hissed. "You shouldn't've followed us."

"You're lucky I did or you'd both be spider food." Ranma retorted. "What's so important that you risked getting killed?"

"It wasn't so supposed to be dangerous." Fred replied. "It was dead easy last time -"

"Last time? Last time!" Ranma exclaimed, his temper rising. "You're telling me you nutters have gone there before?"

"Well, maybe once -" said George.

"- or twice..." added Fred. They both steadfastly avoided his eyes

"I don't believe you two." Ranma said, shaking his head. "You're both mad!"

"Hold on now, that's a bit harsh. We perfectly sane, thank you." Fred replied with mock indignation.

"Besides, who's madder, the nutter or the nutter who follows him?" joked George. Ranma, who was in no mood to laugh, glared witheringly at them. "Oh, come on, Ranma, look on the bright side. We're alive, aren't we?"

"And all thanks to you, mate." Fred added flatteringly. "That was bloody brilliant, what you did back there. I wouldn't've believed it if I hadn't been there."

"Too right." George chimed in. "Now we know that the story about the troll really _is_ true."

"Wait a minute. You didn't believe that until just now?" Ranma looked confused. "But your own brother told you -"

"Well, it's Ron, isn't it? He has this annoying habit of exaggerating." said George, rolling his eyes.

"So why bother spreading the story if you don't believe it?"

"It wasn't us that spread that story around the castle, mate. One thing you've got to learn about Hogwarts, it's got a million ears and twice as many mouths." Fred assured him. "Honestly, the story was so far-fetched, no one really believed it. I mean, an eleven year old fist-fighting with a troll-"

This revelation made Ranma's insides writhe with embarrassment. He had been under the delusion that others in the school were impressed by him. "But, if no one believes it, why do people keep going on about it?" he said, trying not to sound too concerned.

"Well, no one wants to let a good rumor die." George said with a shrug. "And anyway, people are still arguing over whether it's true. Apparently some people (nobody we know) overheard McGonagall saying that it was true."

"Well it _is._" Ranma said.

"Yeah, we know that now." Fred said. He was giving Ranma a strange, almost calculating look.

"I think we'd better head back to the castle. Filch's gets insomnia sometimes and it'd be very annoying to get caught after all that." said George, standing and offering Ranma a hand, which he took gladly.

The trek back was somewhat slower than the walk out, since Ranma was limping after the night's exertions. He forced himself to ignore the shooting pains in his thighs and feet, hoping that he would not need another trip to the hospital wing. The trio was silent as they entered the school and crept back up to the tower.

The common room was dark and cold. Fred and George sat down on a couple of the armchairs while Ranma headed towards the spiral staircase. "Aren't you two going to bed?" he asked with a yawn.

"Not yet, but don't let us keep you." responded George, opening a bag he had been holding.

Ranma shrugged and began limping up the stairs to his dormitory. Though he was curious what the twins were up to, he too felt battered and exhausted to bring himself to care at that moment.

"Hey, Ranma." Fred called. "Thanks. We won't forget this."

"Yeah, we owe you one, mate." added George.

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 10: A Nice, Quiet Christmas**

There are only **6** chapters remaining in Book 1...

Author's Notes:

Writer's block really sucks. Being very busy at work really sucks. Combining the two, at least in my case, adds up to a late chapter. I write at work during my downtime, but I haven't had much time there the last two weeks. At any rate, it's here, you've read it, hopefully it's to your satisfaction. I promised some new material and I more or less delivered, but maybe it wasn't quite enough for your tastes. Therefore, in chapter 10, we'll take a respite from life at Hogwarts and get a look at a magical Saotome Christmas. And hopefully it gets delivered somewhere near on time...

As always, thanks to Kim and Ed; you know why. Big thanks to people leaving comments, some of you are making good guesses on the direction this story is going. I look forward to seeing more of your insights. Finally, thanks to the readers (30,000+ hits!). If you like what you're reading, don't hesitate to hit that comment link :)

Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section...


	10. A Nice, Quiet Christmas

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: Text between '§' characters indicate Japanese dialogue.

**Chapter 10: A Nice, Quiet Christmas**

December arrived at Hogwarts and brought with it a fresh, powdery white coat for the grounds. Bitter drafts swept through the halls and rattled windows. The Gryffindor common room was now more crowded than ever, as everyone took refuge from the winter weather. Everyone, that is, but Ranma, who still awakened every morning to train outside. And, while it was far warmer than the school grounds, the dueling room was still chilly enough for him to see his own breath.

Ranma had plenty to keep him busy during the last few weeks of term. He made good on his promise to Harry, Ron, and Hermione and joined them more often to search, unsuccessfully, for Nicolas Flamel. For all of the books they had yet to find Flamel in, Ranma thought the man must surely have been dead, but he wisely chose not to share this sentiment with Hermione. She was becoming more snappishly frustrated at their lack of progress and the failure of the library to provide answers. When he was not burying his nose in a dusty old tome, Ranma was training his magic disruption in earnest. The fight with the acromantula had proved the skill's usefulness in combat and had given him some new ideas to try on his second (and, eventually, third) dragonskin punch bag. As he made progress in the training, he gave regular reports to McGonagall. Despite this seemingly incredible information, Dumbledore had not arranged another meeting with him. Ranma wondered at this, but thought that the man must have been very busy (while trying to ignore the thought that his news was not as incredible as he had thought).

Then, of course, there was his newer and more challenging mission: discovering what the Weasley twins were up to that night in the forbidden forest. This turned out to be much easier said than done, as they were quite reticent when it came to that particular subject. It was proving surprisingly difficult to get a chance to talk to them, since their mastery of the school's hidden passages made it easy for them to give him the slip. Ranma, however, was relentless, and he made a point to accost them every time he saw them. On the last day of term, as he followed Harry, Ron, and Hermione down to the Great Hall for dinner, he spotted the twins ahead in close conference with Lee Jordan.

"Hah! They can't get away now." Ranma said, rubbing his hands together. He had the look of a cat preparing to pounce on its unsuspecting prey.

"Still haven't given up, eh?" Ron said with a wry grin.

"Of course not. I've got to find out-" Ranma caught himself quickly, much to the disappointment of his friends. For some reason he could not explain, even to himself, he had not yet told them about the twins and the acromatula. Considering they had been quite out of bounds, he did not doubt that the twins wanted that information kept quiet, especially from an avowed lover of rules like Hermione. While Ranma was not worried about the three of them telling a teacher, it seemed important to him to keep the twins' secret, even if they had not explicitly asked him to do so.

"Yes, go on. What've you got to find out from them?" Harry said with a voice that he had recently reserved for seeking clues from Hagrid. He, Ron, and Hermione had been trying to wheedle the secret from Ranma for two weeks, since Ranma had first started pursuing the twins.

"I, uh...I'll let you know when I find out." he replied lamely, trying to deflect their attention. "Be right back."

Ranma sprinted ahead before they could protest, dodging around a group of fifth-years. He slipped into the crowd surrounding the twins and edged in behind them without them noticing.

"Fred, George!" he boomed heartily, startling them with a claps on the back that turned into vice-like grips on their shoulders. "Just the people I wanted to see." he lowered his voice. "So, are you two gonna tell me?"

"Tell you what?" They replied innocently as they crossed the entrance hall, Ranma following close behind.

"Don't play dumb with me. You two still haven't told me why you went into the forbidden –"

The twins nearly choked and they rounded on him, looking alarmed. "All right, all right, keep it down, will you?" Fred hissed. "We'll tell you later."

"That's what you said yesterday." said Ranma with a scowl.

George looked at him thoughtfully. "Did we really?"

"Yeah, you did."

"That's odd. Oh, well, we meant the end of term." Fred said cheerfully.

"Today _is_ the end of term." Ranma retorted impatiently.

"He has us there, brother." George said with a grin. "Tell you what, Ranma, we'll fill you in this evening, during the end of term party."

Lee, who had been listening uncharacteristically quietly the whole time, finally spoke up. "Err, what the hell are you three going on about?"

The twins looked at Lee, as if they were only just realizing something. "Blimey, we never told Lee, did we?" Fred remarked. "Well, we'll let you in on it too , Lee."

"Let me in on _what_?"

Ranma peeled off from them, satisfied for the moment, and slowed down until Harry, Ron, and Hermione had caught up, just as he entered the Great Hall. "Well?" Hermione asked

"Well, what?" Ranma asked innocently.

"Didn't get anything out of 'em, did you?" Ron said with a chuckle. "At this rate you'll be as old as Dumbledore before they tell you anything." Ranma gave him a withering glare, but he could not help feel that Ron was probably right.

That evening, the four of them were, again, poring over books. It had been far more productive when they were in the library, but Madame Pince had kicked everyone out early. Ron half-seriously suggested that she was throwing a Christmas party for her precious books. They were forced to return to the common room, where the end of term party was in full swing. It was very hard to concentrate with wizard crackers and various spells going off around them.

"C'mon, Hermione, it won't hurt to stop now." moaned Ron, looking longingly at the refreshment table. "We can't concentrate with all this noise going on."

"Oh, all right." she sighed, shutting a book. "But you and Harry'd better keep looking while we're gone, especially since Madame Pince wouldn't let me check out any more books."

"Yeah, all right." he said quickly, slamming his book closed and rushing off to get food. Hermione rolled her eyes as she began stuffing the books into her bag. She pushed some over to Ranma and Harry.

"That's okay, Hermione." Ranma said, pushing them to Harry. "My mum's got loads of books at home. I'll have a whole library to look through."

Hermione stopped suddenly, then smacked herself on the forehead. "I've been such an idiot!" she said. "Ranma – your mum – she's the ambassador from Japan."

Ranma raised an eyebrow at her. "Err, I know that."

"Yes, but don't you see, Flamel's some kind of important person if he's got something to do with Dumbledore. Well, wouldn't it make sense that she might know him? Hermione asked.

"I suppose..."

"So if she does, she'll be able to tell us who he is." Harry said, sounding excited. "It's too late to send an owl though."

Hermione waved at him dismissively. "That doesn't matter, we'll be back home tomorrow. Ranma, you've got to ask her, but you mustn't let on that anything is going on here. Just pretend you need to know for a school project."

"Alright. I'll ask her and if I find anything out, I'll send Ryouko around."

"Sounds like a plan." Harry said cheerfully just as Ron returned to the table.

"Whah planf?" Ron asked thickly. His mouth was stuffed with a doughnut.

"I'll tell you later." Harry replied, barely holding back laughter. Hermione looked slightly disgusted.

"I'm going to finish packing." she said, and she headed off to the girls' dormitories, the books and her stuffed bag floating along behind her. As he watched her leave, Ranma caught sight of the twins, who were sitting in a corner with Lee Jordan. The three were usually the center of attention but they were uncharacteristically quiet. Fred looked up and, seeing Ranma, waved him over.

"Thought you'd never get your nose out of those books." he said as Ranma sat down in a nearby armchair.

"And here we thought you really wanted to know about the acromantula..." George added nonchalantly.

"Acromantula?" Lee looked puzzled. "What acromantula?"

"The ones in the forbidden forest that I saved their arses from." Ranma replied with a smirk. Lee gaped at him as he related their escape from the horde of giant spiders.

"I can't believe you two." Lee said angrily, his voice rising. "You leave me out of something that brilliant, then you don't even tell me?"

"Oh, come on, Lee, calm down." said Fred. "We just forgot, honestly."

"_You forgot?_ How do you forget something like that?" Lee asked incredulously. He had risen to his feet and looked ready to stalk off.

"Lee, seriously, sit down. You know about it now, right? Besides, don't you want to know _why_ we were out there?" George added enticingly. Lee sat down reluctantly, looking very sour. "Good man. Go ahead, Fred."

The twins became unusually serious. "We're going to let you two in on a secret. We've been doing some top-secret research."

Ramna perked up. "What kind of research?"

"Joke products." George replied. "Zonko's got a stranglehold on the market, but we think there's room for another player in the market."

"We've had loads of ideas since we were young. Been working on some of them too, since we started Hogwarts." added Fred.

"Yeah, I know about that." Lee said impatiently. "So what's that got to do with acromantula?"

George grinned. "It's obvious, innit? They're really magical creatures, and their bits can be used for potions-"

"-so we thought we'd acquire a few eggs and see about growing them up." finished Fred. Lee and Ranma looked dumbfounded.

"No way." breathed Lee.

"That," said Ranma slowly, "is the maddest thing I've ever heard, even from you two."

The twins shrugged. "It might've worked, but we sort of ruined the first batch we nicked." said Fred.

"Which is why we were in the forest the night you saved us." said George to Ranma. "We needed more eggs."

"Too bad the ones we got that night were no good. But we did get the bits we were aiming for in the first place anyway, when we went back and scavenged the bodies of the spiders Ranma killed." Fred said.

Lee and Ranma looked even more astounded. "Okay, I take that back. _That's_ the maddest thing I've ever heard." Ranma said, shaking his head. "You two are unbelievable."

"Thanks!" the twins chimed proudly in unison.

"That wasn't a compliment." Ranma said, but he laughed despite himself. "Seriously, how mad do you have to be to risk your necks for some potions ingredients?"

"We prefer to think of it as a business risk." George replied, sounding somewhat indignant. "And, anyway, we were looking for – ouch!"

Fred looked at him sternly; he had just kicked his brother in the shin. "Not yet, George, and not here anyway."

Lee and Ranma were now quite alert and interested. "You're holding out on us." Lee said suspiciously "What're you two trying to find?"

"Can't tell you that yet." Fred said. "Oh, all right, we'll give you a teaser, then."

George spoke, but this time he had lowered his voice substantially, so Lee and Ranma had to lean in to hear. "We've decided to let you two in on something big we're onto. It's top secret, but we reckon you two can be trusted to keep your mouths shut. But," he emphasized this point, "we can't tell you any details until next month, when we're back from holiday."

Lee and Ranma looked disappointed, especially after that build up. "Don't worry, the wait will be worth it, and you'd rather not be wound up about it during break, trust me." Fred assured them. They were not, however, very convinced, but the twins were adamant and would not say another word about the subject, no matter how much Lee and Ranma protested.

Early the next morning, Ranma and Hermione said good-bye to Harry and Ron. The whole school, it seemed, was leaving en masse, and Ranma imagined that it would be a very quiet holiday for Harry and Ron. They joined the throng of other students heading down to the underground harbor and, once there, boarded sleighs that each carried as many as ten people. The sleighs were, apparently, self-propelled, though Ranma thought he heard the faintest clop-clopping of hooves on the frozen surface of the lake. Once they reached the train station, there was a mad scramble to secure a compartment, much as there had been in September. Ranma, Hermione, and Neville settled on a compartment near the middle of the train and, after a few minutes, they were joined by some familiar faces: Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbot, and Ernie MacMillan. They brought with them another Hufflepuff named Susan Bones.

The train ride seemed to take much less time than the first one had, possibly because they were not walking the length of the train, searching for Neville's toad (which was securely in the boy's hands). Since their houses did not have common classes, their opportunities to socialize the previous four months had been few, so the group took the time to catch up on what they had been up to over the term. This roughly meant that they talked about the teachers, Quidditch, and, most of all, what had happened on Halloween. The Hufflepuffs were most keen to hear about it directly from two of the people involved. Ranma knew he should not feel so pleased with himself, but could not help it when four people seemed so thoroughly impressed by him. Hermione merely rolled her eyes but let him enjoy the attention.

After everyone had gotten something to eat off the trolley, things quieted down considerably. The four Hufflepuffs started a game of exploding snap, a loud and sometimes dangerous wizard card game, while Hermione leafed through a rather large volume on hexes. Neville and Ranma played a game of wizard chess which was constantly interrupted by Trevor, who hopped onto the board every other turn. Outside, they could see the countryside, draped in a blanket of white, flying past and becoming gradually less wild the closer they came to their destination. As they approached London, the sun's rays splashed over the land, dazzling the students and giving the illusion that the snow was aflame.

Dusk had fallen when the train came to a stop, but Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was brightly illuminated by large lamps. Decorated trees, wreaths, and green garland adorned the place, complete with fairy lights and non-melting icicles. The students, however, hardly payed attention as they pushed off the train and into the waiting arms of their parents. The three Gryffindors said good-bye to their Hufflepuff friends as they stepped onto the platform.

"There's my mum!" Ranma said, not bothering to disguise his delight. Nodoka was wearing a long overcoat over a rather smart pin-striped navy pant suit. This time, she did not look the least bit out of fashion.

"My parents are waiting on the other side for me." Hermione said. She looked slightly embarrassed for a moment before hugging Ranma quickly. "See you in a few weeks, and don't forget to ask your mum about Flamel!"

Ranma felt slightly stunned as he watched her hurry off, waving at Nodoka before queuing up to exit into King's Cross. Neville very tactfully pretended not to notice their exchange. "There's my Gran." he said brightly, pointing at an elderly woman wearing an atrocious hat with what looked like a vulture perched on top. She seemed to have spotted them and was making her way over to them.

Nodoka reached them first, followed closely by Genma. Ranma threw his arms around his mother, ignoring a disapproving grunt from Genma. "Hi, mum."

"Oh, it's good to have you back, Ranma-kun." she said fondly, hugging him tightly. Looking up, she saw that they were blocking Neville, who was waiting quietly to get around them. "Oh, and who is your friend?"

"Oh right, mum, this is Neville Longbottom. Neville, my mum." Ranma said.

"Longbottom?" Nodoka replied, looking surprised. "My word, are you-"

"Neville, what on earth are you doing?" Ranma heard Mrs. Longbottom's voice from behind Nodoka.

"Sorry, gran." Neville mumbled looking embarrassed.

Nodoka turned to face the lady. There was a momentary pause, as the two got a good look at one another, then looks of recognition settled on their faces. "My word, if it isn't Nodoka Saotome." said Mrs. Longbottom, sounding very pleased.

"Augusta! It's been too long. I suppose this young man is your grandson?"

"Oh yes. Frank and Alice's boy." she nodded, casting a strangely stern look at Neville. "He's got big shoes to fill, I hope he can measure up."

"Of course he will, look where he comes from." Nodoka smiled at Neville. "We really must get together some time, Augusta."

"Of course, just send me an owl, I'd be delighted." replied Mrs. Longbottom, looking very pleased. "Good day to you all. Come along, Neville."

As they walked off to the queue to King's Cross, Ranma gave his mother a questioning look. "You know Neville's grandmother?"

"I knew her through her son, Neville's father. We were at Hogwarts together." Nodoka responded, sounding somewhat distant. "She's a lovely lady, perhaps a bit too caught up in one's social status."

They left King's Cross and caught a taxi back to Brandywine Court. London was as bustling as ever, even with the chilly layer of ice and snow. When they arrived at the house, Ten-ten greeted Ranma as if he were a long lost child. She was so beside herself that she nearly toppled the dining room table, upon which she had laid a feast Ranma thought might have rivaled those at Hogwarts. Feeling like he had not eaten in ages, Ranma started in on it with gusto, eating more like a hoover than an eleven year-old boy. Ten-ten was delighted, giving a small, happy squeak every time she had to refill his plate.

It was only after he had his fill that he realized Genma had not tried to take anything off his plate. In fact, his father had made no attempt to even acknowledge him since he had returned, and he felt oddly disappointed. He remembered why they had rowed before he had left for Hogwarts, but the four months away from his father had cooled his anger. He realized that he was really only angry at being forced to reveal an embarrassing weakness to his mother. Though Ranma knew that his mother had long since lifted her punishment, Genma, apparently, still harbored resentment, and he had a good idea why. His father hated having to actually take responsibility for his actions instead of blaming others.

'I'm not wrong, though." Ranma told himself sternly. 'If he wants to keep blaming me, that's his problem.'

Nodoka's tolerance for their behavior lasted exactly ten minutes into the meal. "All right, that is quite enough, both of you." she said sharply, casting an imperious gaze on her husband and son. "You are both being ridiculous and I won't stand for it, especially during Christmas. Genma, you will apologize to your son and, Ranma, you will accept your father's apology." She did not say it, but the tone of her voice clearly said "or else".

Genma and Ranma looked at her, then each other. "Hmph!" they said indignantly, folding their arms over their chests and turning away from each other. Ranma felt a ripple of magical energy flow through the air, but it did not register in his mind until he heard the tell-tale ring of a sword being drawn from it's scabbard. He and Genma whipped their heads around to Nodoka, who looked furiously at them while pointing the Saotome clan katana dangerously at them. The color drained away from Ranma's face; he had never seen his mother look so frightening.

Genma, however, had, and wanted no part of the sword in her hand. He prostrated himself before Ranma, a flood of tears rolling down his face. "I'm sorry Ranma I shouldn't have taught you the Neko-ken I only wanted to make you a stronger fighter please forgive me!" he said very quickly. Ranma noticed he was eying Nodoka out of the corner of his eye.

"Err, okay..." Ranma said. He thought he might have found this funny if not for the sword pointing at him. Genma generally saved such theatrics for truly dire situations. "Yeah, I forgive you, Pops."

They were relieved to hear the katana slide back into it's scabbard. With a wave of her wand, Nodoka sent the sword flying back across the room to settle on the fireplace mantle. She replaced the wand in her robes and sat again, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Now then, that will be the end of that. We are going to have a nice, quiet Christmas, am I clear?" Ranma and Genma nodded their heads vigorously as they regained their seats at the table. She became immediately pleasant again and smiled at them, as if nothing had happened. "Excellent. Now then, why don't you tell us how the term was, Ranma?"

Being back on good terms with Genma had its benefits. Ranma had been worried that he would lost his edge despite all of his training during the term, but sparring with his father showed him that, at the very least, he had not gotten worse. Genma seemed happy to have a sparring partner again, and he was especially interested in the new technique Ranma had taught himself. Ranma found it a bit strange explaining to his father, the man who had taught him almost everything he knew, how to disrupt magical energy. Usually, when it came to special techniques, their positions were reversed. His father was a good student and, despite his inability to detect magic, Genma's skill with ki allowed him to imitate what Ranma was doing very effectively. Ranma tried to ignore the scheming look that occasionally crept into his father's eyes while they practiced the technique; he could only guess at what stupid scheme the old man was dreaming up, but it probably would not end well.

On Monday, two days before Christmas, Nodoka surprised them by announcing she was taking the day off and that they should head over to Diagon Alley to do a bit of shopping. The Saotomes took the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron, where Nodoka was promptly recognized and invited over to sit with a group of wizards and witches. "Sorry, Ranma-kun, it'd be rude to turn down the invitation. We must keep up appearances." she said apologetically, handing him a small money bag. "Just in case you're a bit light in the pocket. Take your father with you to shop and I'll join you as soon as I can get away."

"Thanks, mum." Ranma replied with a smile. He led Genma out into the dingy courtyard, tapped the correct brick with his wand, and stepped into Diagon Alley.

The street was as bustling as it had been months ago, only now it was decorated festively. Ice and snow was on nearly everything in what Ranma was sure was a display of magical decoration. Store advertisements danced and flashed, beckoning last minute shoppers inside. Ranma could faintly hear caroling which, upon further investigation, he found came from a choir of fairies in a large wreath. Instead of selling ice cream and cold drinks, the street vendors now offered hot spiced cider and hot butterbeer. Ranma could not help but enjoy the way wizards celebrated the season.

As they passed the Gringotts building, Ranma heard a loud but pleasant female voice coming from a large group of people exiting the bank. "...and that concludes our tour of historical Diagon Alley. Any questions?"

The group of people murmured amongst themselves, but they were not speaking English. Ranma and Genma turned to look at the group, recognizing the language of their homeland. A group of around twenty-five Japanese witches and wizards, most of whom looked to be students, stood on the steps of Gringotts. Together, they bowed respectfully to the tour guide and said "Sankyuu, madame!" in highly accented English. The tour guide blushed and smiled in response before bowing and leaving the group to its own devices.

"§Okay, everyone, listen closely.§" said an adult wizard with greying hair. "§We will be moving on in an hour and a half. You may shop and explore, but none of you are to enter Knockturn Alley. We will meet back in the Leaky Cauldron.§"

"Hai, sensei." the students responded less than enthusiastically before dispersing.

"I wonder what they're doing in Britain." Ranma said, more to himself than to anyone else, as he watched the students wander up the street. He was very curious about wizards from his home country, especially since the only wizards he knew very well were not Japanese. "I think I'll go have a word with them, Pops."

Genma grunted and shrugged as he followed his son. Cutting around a slow moving elderly couple, they passed under the awning of a bookstore. As they emerged from beneath the awning, Ranma felt the slight rush of magical energy dissipating over his head. Half a second later, he was very cold, very wet, and very female.

"Oh, dear me, I'd wondered if I'd charmed that one right." said a short old woman, the proprietor. Ranma-chan shivered, looking very annoyed. The woman handed Ranma-chan a towel. "Sorry dear, 'twas an ice sculpture sittin' in a bonfire up there. Should've put a stronger freezing charm on it."

"Y-yeah, y-y-you th-th-think s-s-so?" Ranma-chan replied as sarcastically as her chattering teeth would let her. Looking around, she did not see her father anywhere. She turned around to walk back into the street but ran headlong into someone, who fell over.

"Sorry 'bout that. Are you al-" Ranma began offering a hand, but realized that she had run into one of the Japanese students, a witch that looked around her age. "§Sorry, I didn't see you there. Are you all right?§"

The girl was around Ranma-chan's height, with brown eyes and brown, waist-length hair beneath her green wizard's hat. She wore robes of deep red that looked well kept but a bit worn. Ranma-chan sensed a strong magical aura in her. The girl looked at her with surprise, clearly not expecting to hear anyone speak to her in Japanese. "§Yes, I'm fine.§" she said a bit shakily, grabbing Ranma-chan's hand. "§You're not with our tour group, are you?§"

Ranma-chan shook her head. "§I'm here shopping with my parents.§" she said truthfully.

"§Ah. On holiday in England then?" the girl asked. "§But I don't recognize you from school...§"

"§School? You mean Mahou no Gakuen no Nippon?§" Ranma-chan guessed. The girl nodded. "§No, I live here in London. I go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.§"

"§Oh. I've heard of that. Too bad we weren't allowed to tour it." she said. "What was wrong with our school?"

"§Nothing, it's just that my mother went to Hogwarts, and she works here, so...§" Ranma-chan responded. She fished around in her overcoat and found her trusty thermos of hot water. After unscrewing the cap, she turned it over above her head, just as the girl said:

"§Oh, I see. By the way, my name's Kuonji Ukyo.§"

Ranma-chan nearly choked, and she wondered for a split second if she had the speed to dodge the warm water that would change her back into a male. She cringed, waiting for the curse to bring her to her doom. "§Err...what are you doing?§" Ukyo asked, sounding perplexed.

Ranma-chan opened one eye and peered up at the thermos. Not one drop of water had spilled on her; the thermos was empty. She sighed with relief. "§Oh, nothing, just...checking this thermos.§" she said with a nervous laugh.

"§Ohhhhkay...§" Ukyo said, looking uncertain. "§Say, are you busy now? Do you mind, maybe, showing me around?§"

"§Um...sure, I guess.§" Ranma said, unable to say no to the hopeful look on the girl's face. She smiled weakly as Ukyo took her by the arm, her brain churning madly trying to reconcile with this new information. This was not the first time Ranma-chan had met someone named Ukyo Kuonji, but that Ukyo had been a boy...at least, that was what she had thought. Glancing sideways at the girl, she hoped she was mistaken, but there was no mistaking a person she had been good friends with several years prior. This was the same Ukyo from then, and she was a witch.

This revelation complicated the current situation quite a bit. The last time Ranma had seen Ukyo, he had been sitting on top of an okonomiyaki cart that had belonged to Ukyo's father, which Genma was pulling as quickly as he could. Ukyo had been running after them, waving and crying. Ranma later realized, after Genma had sold the cart, that his father had stolen the Kuonji's cart, and Ukyo probably thought that he was in on it.

"§So what's your name?§" Ukyo asked, snapping Ranma-chan out of her thoughts.

"§Oh, it's Ran-" Ranma-chan caught herself just in time. "§-ko. Kutaragi Ranko."

"§Nice to meet you, Ranko-san.§" Ukyo said cheerfully. "§Why don't we get something hot to drink?"

"§Okay.§" Ranma-chan allowed herself to be guided to a vendor, where they bought two cups of hot cider. As they sipped, she realized the cider must have had a few drops of some potion because she immediately felt warmer and drier.

The pair began browsing the shops along the street. "§So, um, are you all here in London for Christmas?§" asked Ranma-chan.

Ukyo shook her head. "§We're going back to Japan tomorrow morning.§" she said with a sigh. "§I'm glad, really. Only three students per year were chosen to come, and none are my friends. I don't know anyone in the years above me, and the two people in my year aren't that fun to hang out with.§"

"§Oh? What's wrong with them?§"

Ukyo giggled. "§Well, they're not bad, just...weird, I guess. There's Gosunkugi Hikaru," she pointed at a small, pale boy who was wandering alone up the street, "he's Muggle-born, like me, but he doesn't really hang out with anyone. I hear he was really into dark magic even before he found out he was a wizard."

She pointed a bit further down the street at a group of four girls and one boy, all of different ages. "Then there's Tendo Akane. She's the youngest of the Tendo sisters."

"§Did you say 'Tendo'?§" Ranma asked curiously. He knew of his father's friend, but surely the name similarity was only a coincidence.

"§You know them?§"

"§No, but my father has a friend named Tendo. It must be a coincidence though, that man's a Muggle." Ranma-chan said. "§So what's so strange about Akane Tendo?§"

"§Well, she's just hard to get along with.§" Ukyo said. "§She's really big on blood purity; like, she's always surprised Muggle-bornes can do anything. She tries not to show it too much, at least not around her sisters.§"

"§Her sisters?§" Ranma-chan asked.

"§Yeah. Kasumi's in fifth year, Nabiki's in third year.§" Ukyo replied, pointing them out. "I don't see how she's their sister, though. Those two are really smart and they're not prejudiced against Muggle-bornes."

"§Who are those two others?§"

Ukyo rolled her eyes. "§The Kunos. Tatewaki, third year, and Kodachi, second year. I can't stand either of them.§" She lowered her voice as they walked past the group. "§He's an idiot and she's a psycho, and they both have stupid pureblood mania. But they can get away with anything because their father's the headmaster.§"

"§Watch your mouth, mudblood.§" said a haughty voice. Ukyo's cheeks went red; she had not spoken lowly enough, apparently. Ranma-chan did not know what "mudblood" meant, but it must have been very offensive. She and Ukyo both spun around to retort, but someone beat them to it.

"§Kodachi! That was uncalled for!§" the oldest in the group, Kasumi Tendo, exclaimed reproachfully.

"§She called me a psycho.§" Kodachi said indignantly. §"Anyway, what's wrong with calling a mudblood what she is?§"

"§It's insulting and you know it and I think we'd all prefer you keep words like that to yourself.§" Kasumi said sternly and with what Ranma-chan thought was a slightly threatening tone. Ranma-chan noticed that, while Nabiki seemed to sincerely agree with her sister, Tatewaki and Akane were much less enthusiastic. They did not seem inclined to disagree with her, however.

"§Fine.§" Kodachi said flippantly, not bothering to hide her disgust. "§So who's this gaijin you've latched onto, Kuonji? She must like consorting with inferior witches, unless you're both mud-.§"

"§Shut up, Kodachi!§" Ukyo retorted hotly, her hand reaching inside her robes. Ranma-chan grabbed her hand and shook her head warningly.

Kodachi gave an eerie, maniacal laugh. "§I'm not surprised you fit in so well here, Kuonji, these gaijin wizards have no class and no proper wizard pride. I mean, look at this ugly street and the dingy little shops-§"

Ranma-chan could not let this insult go unanswered. "§Tell me, is everyone at your school as rude and annoying as you are? Makes me glad I'm at Hogwarts.§"

There was a momentary, stunned silence. Kodachi seemed most surprised of them all. "§Wha – you speak Japanese?§"

"§Of course I do; _I'm_ Japanese. If you listened half as much as you insult my friend, you'd have heard Ukyo speaking to me in Japanese.§" said Ranma-chan disdainfully. "Now, I think you should apologize to her.§"

Kodachi snorted derisively. "§Do you? And who asked _you_ anyway?§"

"§I dunno, probably the same person who told you it's okay to be an bitch to my friend.§" Ranma replied. Kasumi made a disapproving sound and Akane looked slightly miffed, but the others had to stifle their laughs.

"§What did you call me?§" Kodachi hissed dangerously, reaching into her robes.

"§Oh, you heard me.§" Ranma-chan smirked scornfully, feeling pleased she was getting under the girl's skin. She noted the girl's hand was hovering in her robes and her tone became serious. "And I'd keep my wand in my robes, if I were you."

"§Don't, Kodachi, we can't do magic outside of school.§" Akane warned.

"§Oh, don't worry about that, Akane, I wouldn't waste magic on trash like this. She only needs a good whipping.§"

Ukyo tugged Ranma-chan's robes. "§Don't, Ranko, she's dangerous, even without a wand.§"

"§I'm not worried about some loudmouth bully." Ranma-chan said arrogantly. "Go ahead and try something, unless you're just all talk.§"

The other four backed away from Kodachi while Ukyo stepped away from Ranma-chan. Ranma-chan vaguely noticed that other shoppers were giving them a wide berth. "§You should have listened to your friend, _gaijin_.§" Kodachi said, pulling out a wand-sized stick with an long ribbon attached to one end, and twirling it expertly. Ranma-chan could feel that this was no normal ribbon; it was imbued with powerful magical energy. She had no idea what the ribbon would do, but it was probably not good.

Kodachi lashed out, sending the ribbon flying at Ranma-chan's face frighteningly fast. She saw the move early, though, and dodged it easily, flashing a maddening smirk at her attacker. "§Is that all?§" Ranma-chan said. "§You should give up now, before I embarrass you.§"

"Embarrass me, the Black Rose of Mahou No Gakuen no Nippon? I'll make you eat those words." Kodachi said, flicking the ribbon furiously. Ranma-chan dodged so effortlessly that she almost seemed not to be trying. Kodachi was becoming very annoyed. "§You mock me, you red-haired harlot. Well, let's see if you can keep up with two then!§"

There were suddenly two ribbons snapping at Ranma-chan, but this was no more difficult for her than dodging only one had been. Throwing caution to the wind, she gathered ki in her right hand and grabbed a ribbon from the air. Whatever the magic was supposed to do, it failed, thanks to Ranma-chan's interrupting ki. She yanked on the ribbon hard, pulling Kodachi closer. The girl tried striking at her with the other ribbon but Ranma-chan expertly wrapped that hand up with the ribbon. In a few swift moves, she had tied the girl up neatly with her own ribbon.

There was a stunned silence, broken by Kodachi's angry cursing. "§That-that's not **possible**!§" she screamed. "§Those ribbons were-§"

"§Charmed. Yeah, I know.§" Ranma-chan said with an amused tone as she kneeled over the prone girl. "§I kinda stopped the magic temporarily.§"

"§That's impossible!§" the girl spluttered. "§You! Untie me right now!§"

"§Ask someone who cares. Whoever it is had better hurry before the charms reactivate on that ribbon.§"

Akane hurried to assist the fallen girl. The others were looking at Ranma-chan as if they had not properly seen her before. Kasumi seemed grudgingly impressed, while Nabiki seemed to be shrewdly considering her and Tatewaki looked almost ecstatic. Ranma-chan bowed slightly at them before turning back to her friend. She, surprisingly, looked slightly worried. "§I don't think you should've done that.§" she said quietly.

"§Why? She attacked me.§"

"§That's not what I meant. Kodachi won't forget this and she'll probably try to get her father to punish me for it.§"

Ranma-chan shook her head in disbelief. "§You didn't _do_ anything.§"

"§Yeah, I know.§" Ukyo said resignedly. "§But they can get away with anything.§"

"Bloody hell," Ranma-chan said, shaking her head. "§Your school sounds mad, and considering what goes on at my school, that's saying something.§"

They had moved only a few steps when a hand turned Ranma-chan around. It was Tatewaki, and he had a strange look on his face. "§Fair maiden, please honor me with your name.§" he said in a comically formal tone.

"§It's Kutaragi Ranko,§" she replied, removing his hand from her shoulder. Perhaps it was because he was standing a bit too close, but something about the boy felt very creepy.

"§One who can stay the hand of my dear sister must surely be a rose of great sweetness.§" he said dramatically before grabbing Ranma-chan in a surprisingly strong embrace. "§I have decided that, despite your age, you may date with me.§"

Ranma-chan stood rigid for a few moments while what the boy had said and what he was doing registered completely in her brain. "Hands off, jerk!" she said angrily, elbowing him in the sternum. In the split-second that he staggered backwards, she pulled back her right foot and kicked him with all her might. The kick lifted Tatewaki Kuno straight up and over Gringotts. Ranma-chan looked slightly concerned as he disappeared. "Bollocks. §I didn't think I'd kicked him that hard.§"

"§You didn't.§" said Ukyo, who was sitting on the ground, massaging her foot. "§I've never kicked him before. I didn't realize he had a head like a brick.§"

"§Kuno-chan's thick-headed.§" said Nabiki amusedly. She was looking at them both appraisingly. "§You must have a really strong foot. Akane's the only other person who can kick him and not feel it.§"

Ranma-chan was now the astonished one. Everyone had been surprised when she spoke Japanese, but none of them had batted an eyelash at the fact that he and Ukyo had just kicked a boy _over a building_. This was not the first time Ranma-chan had shown such strength, but it was telling of the Japanese magic school that performing such a feat would not elicit at least some surprise.

"§Oh my, I think we had better go find your brother, Kodachi.§" Kasumi said to the still bound witch. For all the urgency in her voice, she may have been commenting on the weather. Akane apparently had not worked out Ranma-chan's knots. The elder Tendo turned to them and bowed, looking apologetic. "§Please forgive their rudeness; they're very young and a bit spoiled, I think, but I'm sure they'll grow out of it. Please don't judge us too harshly.§"

Ranma-chan was not certain she bought the explanation but, as it was so politely given, she did not feel it would be good form to be rude to the girl. "§I'm sorry if I was rude.§" she said, bowing in return. "§I shouldn't judge all of the school by them, I guess.§"

Kasumi smiled peacefully. "§Please excuse us. Akane, carry Kodachi, please.§" And, with strength Ranma-chan did not think was normal for an eleven year old girl, Akane easily lifted the girl with one hand and slung her on her shoulder before following her older sisters towards Gringotts.

Ranma-chan watched them go, shaking her head. "§I was right: mad. Witches who know martial arts and have the strength of small gorillas, you all barely noticing when a boy gets punted over a building, and a polite girl who excuses it all away as if those Kunos had only scuffed my shoe without apologizing. This is normal for you?§"

"§Well, yeah, I guess. Kasumi's like that with everyone, only thinking and seeing the best of people, I mean. As for that other stuff, you'd fit right in. I mean, most everyone can't do martial arts, but there's a few of us who can, and the rules are a bit lax. It does stay interesting, I guess.§" replied Ukyo.

"§Remind me never to complain about Hogwarts.§" Ranma-chan said with a chuckle. She did not share with Ukyo how interesting this school really did sound.

The rest of the time the two spent together was far less eventful, not counting the four or five times Ranma-chan was nearly doused with hot liquids. Ukyo did not hide that she was very impressed by her newfound friend's skills, especially since Kodachi was probably the best female fighter at their school. Ranma-chan made certain to keep this topic near the surface while she asked Ukyo about herself, just in case the girl tried steering the conversation into more dangerous waters. In short order, Ranma had learned the gist of what Ukyo had been up to in the five years since they had last seen each other.

The loss of the okonomiyaki cart had been tough on the Kuonjis, and it took several years before Ukyo's father had been able to get another. They were not exactly poor, but neither were they living comfortably. It seemed that Ukyo had also been training in her family's "Martial Arts Okonomiyaki Making" style since that time, with the intent of tracking someone down (Ranma-chan could guess who). This explained why she was strong enough to help punt Tatewaki. Her plans for revenge had been put on hold, however, when she discovered she was a witch and had begun attending magic school. Not that she had forgotten about it, but she wanted to learn magic to use in her quest to find the Saotomes. Ranma could only smile and nod mechanically as she said this, feeling simultaneously terrible about what his father had done and slightly frightened at his friend's dedication.

They finally strolled into the Leaky Cauldron more than an hour after having met one another. Ranma carried a few purchases while Ukyo carried none, as she had already finished her Christmas shopping before coming to England. Ranma-chan was relieved to see that her mother was no longer in the pub, since it would have been very awkward explaining why Nodoka called her "Ranma". The other Japanese students were milling about or sitting at the tables enjoying a last drink. Ranma saw the Tendo sisters sitting at a table opposite the Kunos, both of whom looked rather strange. Kodachi wore a dazed, almost drunken, expression, while Tatewaki's head was wrapped in a bandage and his left arm was in a cast and sling. Again, Ukyo seemed completely unsurprised by this.

"§I guess Akane didn't get those knots undone in time.§" she said, noticing where Ranma-chan was looking. "§And don't worry about him, he's like that all the time. I do wonder sometimes why he gets hurt so badly, considering he's a wizard...§"

Before Ranma-chan could respond, one of the Japanese teachers cleared his throat and spoke loudly to the students. "§All right, people, let's line up at the Floo. Remember, it's 'Hogsmeade Station', and say it clearly in English, as we practiced. I don't want to scour England again just because you didn't bother saying two words correctly.§" He cast a rather dark look at one of the girls, who looked embarrassed.

"§Well, I, uh, guess this is goodbye then.§" said Ukyo as she looked down at her feet.

"§Yeah, I guess so.§" Ranma-chan replied awkwardly. "§Thanks for helping me pick out those presents.§"

"§It was nothing.§" Ukyo replied, still looking at her feet. "§Thanks for walking around with me. And for what you said to Kodachi-§"

"§Yeah, about that, I hope I didn't get you into trouble there.§"

"§It'll be worth it just for the memory of seeing that brat outclassed. That's the best wrapped present I'll have this Christmas, I bet.§" Ukyo said with a grin. Ranma-chan could not help it; she grinned too.

After the last of the Japanese contingent had left the pub (and Ukyo had promised she would write), Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. He could not believe that only an hour and a half had passed. It had seemed like most of the day was gone. She walked up to the bar and asked Tom, the bar-keep, for a mug of hot water. Tom barely blinked as she poured it over her head and changed back into a boy. Considering the establishment he ran, Ranma imagined that he saw a great many strange things that would put his curse to shame.

"You can come out now, Pops, she's gone." he said loudly. Ranma could not feel his father's presence but had a feeling that the man was lurking nearby. Sure enough, the man appeared beside him out of thin air, a technique of his that Ranma had not yet worked out how to perform. Genma looked very relieved and he sat at a table, looking like a great weight had lifted from his shoulders.

"What were you playing at, hanging around that girl-"

"Her name's Ukyo, remember?" Ranma said.

"Of course I remember." Genma replied testily. "You should've left her alone. If it weren't for me, you'd have been splashed with hot water. Not to mention your mum. It was all I could do to keep her away from you."

"If you hadn't stolen the Kuonji's cart, we wouldn't've had to worry about that." Ranma retorted.

"I _didn't_ steal their cart."

"It looked like stealing to me." said Ranma. "And you wouldn't have cared if she'd seen me unless that was true."

"Look, you don't understand." Genma replied, his face looking conflicted.

"I understand better than you think." Ranma said coolly. Genma looked at him warily.

"And I suppose you'll be going to your mum about this now, eh?"

Ranma shook his head. "I don't fancy her being angry at us both. But you'd better figure out some way to pay them back. Next time I see Ukyo, I'm going to let her know who I really am, and I don't want something stupid like money to get in the way."

At that moment, Nodoka strode into the pub, her cheeks slightly pink from the cold. "There you two are, I wondered where you'd gotten off to. Don't tell me you're both tired of shopping already?"

"Oh, uh, no dear. Just getting some hot water." Genma said with a forced laugh. "Had a little water mishap."

"Yeah," Ranma agreed, nodding as innocently as he could. "Just came in here to change back and warm up."

"Ah. Well, you both look warm enough, so let's get back to it. I don't fancy having to come back tomorrow. It'll be dreadfully crowded." she said.

The Saotomes returned to Brandywine court, the males laden with Nodoka's shopping. It had started to snow again while they shopped and the short trip through the Floo had warmed them considerably, but Ten-ten had hot tea ready for them anyway. They spent the rest of the evening after dinner in the sitting room, wrapping gifts. Nodoka was fastest, of course, having magic at her disposal, but Ranma and Genma's speed and dexterity came in useful as well. Ranma did think that his mother was showing off a bit with her unnecessarily complex wrappings, however. They placed the presents under the Christmas tree, which Ranma found rather odd, since almost all of the presents were for people outside of the family.

"Don't worry about that, they'll make their way to where they need to be." Nodoka said reassuringly. How that would happen she adamantly refused to explain, so Ranma assumed, against all reason, that they would magically transport themselves.

The next morning, Ranma found the area beneath the tree quite empty, but he pushed this to the back of his mind for later. First, he had presents to open. Harry had sent him a box of melon-flavored gummy earthworms from Japan that wriggled like real worms. Ron had sent him a well-used Beater's bat and a note explaining that the charms had mostly worn off and that he'd probably have to get it re-charmed before using it in a game. From Hermione he received a book on magical potions of Southeast Asia which, to his chagrin, he realized was the very same thing he had given her. Hagrid sent a small tin of treacle fudge and, surprisingly, Freya sent a small book on blocking spells.

Genma gave him a small scroll and a note promising to teach him more advanced techniques if he could master the scroll on his own. Reading over it, Ranma chuckled; he already knew the scroll, having stolen and copied it more than a year prior. Finally, Nodoka had given him two presents, both of which had excited her son. First was a new roll of dragonhide, the toughest and most magically imbued available. The second was a long package whose shape Ranma had no problem recognizing.

"Of course, you can't take it back with you to Hogwarts, but you can enjoy it over the summer and in your second year." she said with a smile as he held his brand new broomstick. The shiny black handle read "Comet 280". He thought it was the greatest broomstick ever, even after having seen Harry's Nimbus 2000. "It's not the fastest-"

"It's perfect!" Ranma said, grabbing his mother in a hug. "Thanks, mum."

"You're quite welcome. I expect you'll want to try it out, but not until after dinner. You can learn how to activate the invisibility charms reliably until then." she said before leaving him to his new possessions.

Ten-ten outdid herself on Christmas dinner. There were plenty of English dishes, but she also prepared Japanese fare, much to everyone's delight. It had been quite a while since Ranma had miso soup and rice balls. While they ate, Ranma remembered his question about the presents and posed it to his mother. She chuckled knowingly and gave him a mischievous smile.

"Santa Claus delivered them, of course." she said.

Ranma stared at his mother. "There's no such thing as Santa Claus."

"Of course there is. How else did the presents get delivered?" she said, clearly enjoying herself.

"Ryouko. Or you sent them by Floo, or magicked them away..."

"Oh no, Santa Clause is much more reliable. I'm surprised you don't believe straight off, after all the impossible things you've seen since last May." she said gently. "I assure you that Santa Claus does exist, and he is a wizard."

Nodoka did not seem to be joking. "A wizard...well, that'd explain a lot. Does he really live in the North Pole?"

"He does. Actually, most of the stories Muggles have about him are true, to a point. For instance, he has not driven the flying sleigh since nearly the beginning. Nor is he the same man as first started delivering presents. The current Santa Clause is actually the tenth in the family."

"Okay, wait, he doesn't fly the sleigh around? How does he deliver presents?"

"House elves. They're reliable, they're quiet, and they're quite magically powerful, enough to get into nearly all homes. He has one of the largest contingents of house elves, including some that he hires out from other wizards."

"So the house elves do all the work then?"

"Not at all. It's an enormous job, coordinating delivery for nearly everyone on the planet. I do not envy St. Nicolas, that's for sure." she said with a chuckle.

Ranma's eyes grew wide as he was reminded of something he had promised Hermione he would do over the break. "Mum, I've another question. Do you know a Nicolas Flamel?"

Nodoka raised an eyebrow at this sudden change in subject. "I know _of_ him, but I've never had the honor of meeting him. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's just something for school." he replied innocently. "I haven't had much luck finding information about him in the Hogwarts library, though."

"No, I shouldn't think so, if Madame Pince is still the librarian. I swear that woman made it intentionally difficult to find anything to keep us from checking out books." Nodoka said.

"Yeah, but Hermione can find anything in the library and even she's been stuck." said Ranma. "We haven't found one thing about him in any books on recent magical history."

Nodoka laughed. "Well of course you haven't, dear, that old codger hasn't done anything historically significant in ages. He's more or less a teacher of alchemical processes and tradition than anything else, nowadays."

"So he's an alchemist?" asked Ranma, fighting to hold back the flood of questions in his mind.

"Oh yes, the only successful one in history, in fact." When Ranma looked confused by this statement, she elaborated. "Nicolas Flamel is the only person to have ever made the Philosopher's Stone."

"What's that?"

"Well, it's a compound used to change any metal into gold, or to make the Elixir of Life, a potion that can keep you alive indefinitely."

Ranma had trouble sitting still the remainder of the meal. It all made sense. The thing that Fluffy was guarding had to be the Philosopher's Stone. Considering all it could do, he could not blame Snape for wanting it. When dinner was over, he rushed to the library and dashed off a letter to Harry and Ron and another to Hermione, detailing what his mother had told him.

All the excitement of learning about Flamel nearly drove his new broomstick from his mind, but seeing it again when he returned to his room, he set to learning how to activate the invisibility charm on it. When he was satisfied that he could turn it on and off as easily as he could switch on a light, he put on a heavy cloak and headed outside with his broomstick.

It was a cold, clear day, the sun shining weakly across the London skyline, glittering on the fresh snow. The street was empty save for a few children, but they were too far away and too focused on their new toys to notice him. Ranma mounted his broom, activated the invisibility charm, and kicked off hard from the ground. Snow and ice sprayed underneath him as he took to the air. The cold air was bracing as it whipped across his face, making his eyes water. Ranma could tell the difference between this broom and the school brooms immediately, as the ride was much smoother. It did not make him fly too much better, but he figured that every little bit counted.

Enjoying the freedom of invisibility, Ranma streaked across London, trying to push his new broomstick to its limits. He rocketed up the Thames, looped around the Tower Bridge, and sat atop Big Ben, surveying the sprawling metropolis below. He descended to the ground, wanting to walk around a bit before heading back home, and deactivated the invisibility charms in a deserted alleyway. As he walked the crowded streets, Ranma heard a person speaking to himself in Japanese. The voice sounded strangely familiar. He followed the sound of the voice, thinking that he might be able to help the person, who did not seem to know much, if any, English.

It did not take Ranma long to locate the voice, which belonged to a boy of about his age who carried an enormous backpack on his back and a yellow umbrella in his right hand. He was wearing loose-fitting, black pants, a long-sleeved, yellow shirt, and black shoes similar to those that Ranma was wearing. "§Where the hell am I?§" the boy said with growing exasperation.

"§Hey, you need some help?§" Ranma asked in a friendly tone.

"§Yes!§" the boy exclaimed, sounding relieved. "§Finally, someone who can speak-§"

He stopped, mid-sentence, looking as surprised as Ranma felt. For the second time in as many days, he was face to face with someone from his past. The chances of it happening twice seemed near impossible, and yet there he stood, face to face with Ryoga Hibiki, whom he had not seen in two years. His face split into a grin. "§Ryoga! I can't believe it! What're you doing here?§"

His voice seemed to snap the boy out of his shock. "§Saotome Ranma...I can't believe that I found you in Osaka...§" he said, almost trembling with anticipation.

"§Osaka? You're kidding, right? We're in London.§"

"§We are? I thought we were in the gaijin section of Osaka.§" Ryoga said, looking around.

"§There isn't any 'gaijin section' of Osaka, stupid.§" Ranma said, rolling his eyes.

"§I knew that old lady's directions were funny.§" Ryoga said darkly.

Ranma laughed. "§The directions were probably fine. You're just the only person who can take directions to Osaka and end up in London.§"

"§Shut up, Ranma! It doesn't matter because I've found who I was looking for anyway.§" Ryoga said angrily, dropping his backpack to the ground. The pavement buckled and caved in slightly under the weight. "§Prepare to die, Ranma!§"

Ranma had already moved to dodge before Ryoga had even raised a fist. People screamed and scattered as Ryoga's fist collided with a lamp post and bent it over into the street. He jumped after Ranma, who flipped backwards effortlessly, narrowly avoiding a downward punch that cracked the sidewalk. He dodged a flurry of punches before seeing a tiny opening in Ryoga's assault and landing a kick on the boy's chin as he flipped backwards from his foe. The blow stunned the boy long enough for Ranma to assess the situation properly.

Several things were apparent. Ryoga was immensely strong, even stronger than himself. The boy also possessed a larger ki, and the fact that he could take that kick showed that he was fairly tough. He was not, however, anywhere near fast enough to actually hit Ranma, nor did he have more than rudimentary control over his ki. The fight had all the indications of a long and tiring stalemate, and Ranma still had no clue as to _why_ they were fighting in the first place. "§What's your problem?§" he asked angrily.

"§You are!§" Ryoga said, rubbing his chin. "§Finally, I'll pay you back for the hell you've put me through.§"

"§What are you on about?§" Ranma retorted. In the distance, he could hear sirens approaching. "§You know what, I don't even care. I'm getting out of here before I get arrested.§"

"§Oh no you don't. You're not running away again, you coward!§"

Ranma bristled at this, but the urgency to get away overrode his indignation. "§Just follow me, stupid. We'll fight after we get away, if that's what you really want.§"

He dashed down an alley and fought the urge to jump on his broomstick. It was against wizard law to knowingly expose a Muggle to magic, and flying an enchanted broomstick would certainly count. He leaped over a wall at the end of the alley, hopping across rooftops for several blocks before returning to the ground and running into a public park. Here, at least, they could fight without causing major damage and attracting attention. Ryoga stayed on his heels every step of the way, further convincing Ranma that this would be a difficult fight.

They came to a halt in a secluded clearing, where Ranma set his broom aside in what he hoped would be a safe place. Ryoga looked ready to pounce on him. "§Hold on, before we fight, at least tell me what it is I was supposed to have done to you.§" Ranma said.

"§Hah! What haven't you done to me?§" Ryoga said contemptuously. "§It's all your fault! You stole my bread, ran out on a duel-§"

"§You're still angry about that? That was two years ago!§" Ranma said exasperatedly. "§And I was there for that duel, you were the one that didn't show up. And don't say that you got lost, I picked the lot next to your house just so you couldn't use that excuse.§"

Ryoga's face went red and he looked very embarrassed. "§You could've waited-§"

"§I _did_ wait, for three days!§" Ranma threw back. He was becoming very angry.

"§You should've waited four days, when I got there! Because you ran away, I had to follow you.§" Ryoga said, sounding anguished. "§And now I'm half a man because you're an honorless-§"

There was a loud smack and the sound of something heavy slamming into a tree. Ranma had punched Ryoga in the jaw and sent him flying before he had even realized Ranma had moved. "§Don't you call me a coward just because you can't show up for a duel on time. You were the one without honor, not me!§"

Ryoga sat up and looked at Ranma, a satisfied smirk on his face. Blood trickled from his mouth, which he wiped away. "§That's more like it. Less talk, more fighting.§" he said, before flying at Ranma.

Ranma lost track of how long they had been fighting. He only knew that he had to avoid being hit. His own strikes were hitting and hurting Ryoga, but the boy was far tougher than Ranma had anticipated and could take the punishment. He even tried using his ki interruption technique but, while it shook Ryoga a bit, it did not work nearly as well as Ranma had hoped.

The way the fight was going, he would tire before Ryoga. Before that happened, though, Ryoga had backed him up to a fountain. He swung wildly and, again, Ranma dodged the blow narrowly. The fountain exploded from the impact, peppering Ranma with shards of concrete and sending jets of water spurting about the area. When Ranma-chan blinked, Ryoga was nowhere to be seen. She could hear the faint sound of sirens again and decided that getting away was far more important than continuing her fight with Ryoga. She quickly found her broom, mounted it, and lifted off, activating the invisibility charm as she rose over the park. As she flew home, Ranma-chan wondered at the coincidence of meeting Ryoga, at why the boy was so intent on killing her, and, more importantly, at what detail she had overlooked that would explain why his aura had seemed so different but so familiar.

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 11: The Marauders' Map**

There are only **5** chapters remaining in Book 1...

Author's Notes:

Another chapter down! I hope everyone enjoyed it or, at least, didn't hate it. If you enjoyed the quick glimpse of Ranma characters, I'll have to disappoint you now and say that we won't see any more in this book. This chapter's very late, I know, much later than the others have been. Sorry 'bout that, it could not be helped. I'm in the part of the book where a lot of the canon gets glossed over in favor of my new content. Plotting and brainstorming take a long time, especially since I've only really planned the general outline of what's happening. Most of the stuff you read is written off the cuff, pretty much whatever sounds good at the time. Anyway, excuses aside, I'm hoping to get back on track next chapter, at least by finishing within two weeks.

As you all know, we're rushing to the end of book 1, and a lot of things need to be revealed before we sneak past Fluffy and take the plunge down the trapdoor. To that end, you can expect more long chapters like this one, simply because there's canon material and (lots of) non-canon material that needs to be related.

Big thanks to Kim this time around, you know why. Thanks to everyone who commented last chapter, make sure to check the forum if you asked any questions. Thanks to the people who have me on their favorites or author alert or c2, glad you like the story. Everyone else, enjoy and, if you feel inclined, submit a comment. I am not averse to adulation or criticism ;-D

Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section...


	11. The Marauders' Challenge

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: I changed the title of this chapter because I thought it made a bit more sense. Please note that this chapter contains and is inspired by portions of Chapter 13 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits).

**Chapter 11: The Marauders' Challenge**

"So, are you going to tell them, Harry?"

"Tell us what?" asked Hermione. She, Ranma, Ron, and Harry were all in the common room, along with most of Gryffindor house, finishing their last bits of homework before term started the next day. Most of the school had returned that evening on the Hogwarts Express.

"Harry got an invisibility cloak for Christmas!" replied Ron, his voice low but excited. Hermione and Ranma both looked at Harry with wide-eyed surprise.

"Thanks, Ron, I think I can tell them." Harry said airily. It seemed that Ranma was not the only one who'd had an eventful vacation. "So, yes, I got an invisibility cloak-"

"Who was it from?" asked Hermione.

"Dunno, there wasn't a name on it, just a note that said it used to be my dad's." said Harry with a shrug. "Anyway, I thought I'd put it to good use, so I went to the library that night to look at books in the Restricted Section-"

"You didn't!" said Hermione, looking horrified. "Harry, if Filch had caught you-"

"He didn't." Harry assured her quickly.

"Came close though, didn't he?" Ron added with a grin. Harry shot a withering glare at him. "Anyway, tell them about that dodgy mirror."

"It's not dodgy!" Harry said, sounding unnecessarily defensive.

"That's not what Dumbledore said-"

"Okay, hold on, are either of you two going to explain what you're talking about, or do you plan to argue all night?" Ranma asked with a bemused smile.

"Yeah, all right." said Ron. "Go ahead, Harry."

Harry sighed as if he were recalling a pleasant memory. "Well, I almost got caught by Filch, and I was running away so fast that I didn't see where I was headed. I just sort of found this old classroom, and inside was this big mirror, the Mirror of Erised."

"Erised?" said Hermione. "That's an odd name."

"Yeah, I know. That's not all that's odd about the mirror though. It-" Harry paused. He opened his mouth to speak but seemed to have difficulty producing any words.

"It shows you your deepest desire." Ron quickly volunteered. "At least, that's what Dumbledore said. When I looked in it, it showed me as Quidditch captain and prefect and head boy, plus I was holding the House cup."

To her credit, Hermione managed to keep any sarcastic comments to herself, though the look on her face was enough to provoke a reaction from Ron. "Oh right, and I suppose yours would be better? It'd probably involve a magic bookbag and Madame Pince lifting the limit on the number of books you can check out."

Hermione blushed slightly and opened her mouth to retort, but Ranma headed off the argument. "So Harry, what did you see in the mirror?"

"I saw...my family." Harry said, sounding rather wistful. This quieted Ron and Hermione and the four sat in awkward silence for several moments before Harry spoke again. "Anyway, Dumbledore said it's really dangerous and that people have wasted away in front of it. He's had it moved. He told me to forget about it."

"He's quite right." said Hermione approvingly. "As interesting as it sounds, I don't think it's safe to just have laying around for anyone to come across."

The other three nodded absently. Ranma could imagine what he would see in the mirror: a counter to his Jusenkyo curse. They were silent a while longer before Harry spoke again, this time on a less touchy subject.

"So, have you three thought about what to do about Snape and the Stone?"

From the looks on their faces, Ranma could tell that, like him, the other three had been thinking very keenly about it. Ryouko had delivered the letters far more swiftly than Ranma thought she could and, the next day, three return letters had been waiting. During the last days of the holiday, the four of them had owled each other almost non-stop but, despite all their communication, they had yet to come up with a satisfactory answer to that particular question.

"Harry, I don't think there's anything we _can_ do." Hermione said.

"Sure there is." Ron replied matter-of-factly. "We can go to McGonagall, or even Dumbledore."

"Yeah, but what would we say? We don't exactly have a lot of proof." said Harry.

"But we saw him going to the third floor corridor on Halloween, and we saw him hexing your broom." Ron insisted.

"That's not good enough, Ron. He could just say that he was making sure the troll wasn't a diversion. Besides, Hermione's probably the only one of us that they'd listen to." Ranma said, shaking his head. "I think the only thing we can do is keep an eye on Snape for now."

"Ranma's right." agreed Hermione. "We know Snape can't get around Fluffy, so while he's trying to figure that out, we can try to find out what other things are protecting the Stone."

"Other things?" Both Harry and Ron said with alarm.

Hermione looked exasperatedly at them. "Of course there are other things. You don't just think Hagrid's dog is the only thing guarding something that valuable, do you?"

Ranma nodded in agreement. He had been thinking along those lines as well. "Harry, I think you should try pumping Hagrid for more information, since he always seems to slip up around you. He's bound to know what's after Fluffy, or at least who put the other protections on."

Harry agreed, though Ron did not seem entirely convinced. "What's the point? As long as Dumbledore's here, Snape won't be stupid enough to try anything."

"Yeah, that's just the thing." Ranma replied, before Hermione could throw in a, no doubt, scathing remark. "He might not always be here."

On Tuesday, Ranma went through his morning routine feeling that he was forgetting something important. He tried to push this feeling from his mind as he sat down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast, where he joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Just as he arrived, the post owls began flying through the Great Hall, and he was surprised to see several swoop down and drop three letters and a package on his plate.

"Your mum sent you something already?" asked Ron.

"Looks like it." Ranma replied, holding up a thick envelope with his mother's handwriting. Before he opened it, though, he looked at the other two, both of which were rolled and sealed. One caught his eye immediately because it was addressed, in neat kanji, to _Ranko Kutaragi_. His eyes grew wide with disbelief as he realized who had sent the letter. How had she possibly sent him, or rather, Ranko, a letter...unless she knew the truth. Ranma swallowed hard, feeling apprehensive. Deciding his mother's letter could wait, he unsealed the letter with a decidedly shaky hand, unrolled it, and proceeded to read.

**Dear Ranko,**

**I hope you don't mind me writing, I forgot to ask if it was okay before I left. I know you were worried about what the Kunos would do after what happened, but I think Kasumi convinced them to forget about it, so don't worry.**

**I had fun walking around Diagon Alley with you. I know this sounds weird, but you remind me of someone I used to know. You're much nicer though - I hope it wasn't too boring showing me around. Next time you're in Japan, I'll show you around Pai Yar Square.**

**Take care and write back soon!**

**Ukyo**

Ranma set the letter aside, breathing a sigh of relief. Ukyo still thought she was talking to a girl named Ranko, so his real identity was safe for the moment. Still, he wondered how the letter managed to find its way to him. Deciding to think on that and send a response later, Ranma opened the other letter and read it as well.

**Dear Mr. Saotome,**

**I trust the term has started well for you. I must first apologize for my seeming lack of interest in the information you have so diligently provided Professor McGonagall. Let me assure you that I have not forgotten our conversation and that I have been thinking on these developments. I have no answers for you now, merely the thinnest of speculation, but I encourage you to continue informing Professor McGonagall of your progress. And, though I'm sure you are doing this already, I must impress upon you the importance of continuing to work on extending and controlling your magical ki, as we discussed in October. Perhaps you think the progress you've made is too minimal, but I should like to hear of it nonetheless. I wish you the best of luck in these things and your studies.**

**Professor Dumbledore**

Ranma folded the letter, feeling a pang of guilt. In his excitement over discovering ki interruption, he had completely forgotten about learning to use his magical energy. Something in the way Dumbledore had worded the letter made him suspect that the headmaster knew this to be the case. Ranma immediately resolved to put ki interruption aside, for the moment, and concentrate on magic. His control over his ki and progress with ki interruption would probably be sufficient and, besides, he really did want to start using his wand for something other than decoration.

Finally, Ranma turned to Ryouko, who was waiting patiently, nibbling on a kipper that had fallen off a platter. With a faint idea of what this all meant, Ranma removed the letter from her leg and opened it. Inside was a note, which read:

**Dear Ranma,**

**I hope you're enjoying the new term, but not so much you forget your special day! Since it's so close to Christmas, I hope you don't mind if I put off buying your gift until the end of term, and by then you will have thought of something you'd really like. Enjoy the card and share the birthday cake with your friends.**

**Love,**

**Mum**

Ranma's smiled and opened the, card which started singing "Happy Birthday" and dancing around the table. His fellow Gryffindors laughed and sang along as it made it's way up from one end to the other. He quickly wrote a reply, strapped it to Ryouko, and sent her back off.

"You didn't tell us it was your birthday! I'd have gotten you something otherwise." said Harry, after the card finally seemed to tire.

"Don't worry about it." Ranma said with a lopsided grin. "I usually don't celebrate it, thanks to my dad. To be honest, I nearly forgot."

"How on earth do you forget your own birthday?" asked Hermione disbelievingly.

"With my dad, it's easier than you think." he replied with a shrug.

Ranma stowed the box in the dormitory until later that evening, when he shared his birthday cake with the other first years and anyone else who wanted a slice. As he, Ron, Harry, and Hermione sat near the fire, eating cake and doing Charms homework, they were accosted by the Weasley twins.

"Look here, Fred, our ickle firsties are taking a night off from reading the entire library." quipped George as he helped himself to the cake.

"We weren't trying to read the library." Ron said, sounding annoyed. "And, anyway, we've stopped doing that."

"I'm sure Pince would do a back flip if she heard you say that." Fred chuckled. He turned to Ranma. "This cake is excellent, but if you'd told us about your birthday, George and I'd have made one for you too."

"Right, and how many jinxes would it have had on it?" Ranma asked skeptically. Fred and George looked greatly offended.

"Do you really think we'd be so under-handed as to-"

"Yes!" Ranma, Hermione, Harry, and Ron said in unison. The twins laughed.

"Brother, I think they may be getting wise to us." said George with mock concern. "Anyway, excuse us while we borrow Ranma. It'll only be a moment."

Ranma shrugged at his friends, looking as surprised as them. He allowed himself to be dragged away to a quiet corner of the common room. "What's up?" he asked curiously.

"A couple things. First, seeing as it's your birthday and all, we got you a little something." said George.

"It's not much-" Fred said, tossing a tiny box at Ranma, who caught it easily.

"-but we think you'll like it." finished George. "We'll thank you to open it after we've gone, you'll just embarrass us with your profuse gratitude."

Ranma rolled his eyes at them. "And what's the second thing?"

"Ah, yes. We wanted to give you a bit of warning." said Fred, his voice turning serious.

"There's been talk around the castle of a betting pool on you." George said.

"A betting pool? On me?" Ranma asked, sounding surprised. "Why would anyone bet on me?"

"Not on you, against you. Apparently there's a load of galleons in store for anyone who can hex you."

"But people are already trying to hex me."

"Yeah, but it didn't involve money." Fred replied. "If you ask us, we think someone-"

"-or some house-" added George darkly.

"-is gunning for you. Whoever it is is trying to make a big incentive to attack you."

"And how long has this been going on?" asked Ranma.

"Since December at least." said George.

Ranma still looked confused. "But there haven't been more people trying to hex me. In fact, there've been _less_."

"Well, after that whole thing at Halloween, not many people are mad enough to attack you openly."

"Which is why the pool has gotten so large. Eventually it'll be large enough for someone to be mad not to attack you." explained Fred.

"I see." Ranma said thoughtfully. "Well, thanks for the gift and the warning."

"You're not worried, are you?" George asked.

"Not one bit." Ranma said casually.

"I told you he wouldn't be, Fred." George said triumphantly. "Well, there's Lee, so if you'll excuse us..."

He made his way back over to his seat. "What'd Fred and George want?" asked Ron when Ranma had sat down again.

"They gave me this for my birthday." He showed them the little box. He decided to keep the news of the betting pool to himself.

"What's that?" asked Harry.

"Probably something dodgy." Ron said with a snort before helping himself to more cake.

Thinking that Ron was probably right, Ranma took the lid off the box carefully. Inside he found a small glass bottle of cloudy yellow liquid and a small slip of paper folded several times.

**Happy birthday, mate! You might be wondering what's in that little bottle. It's a little potion we invented that we like to call "Bird Droppings". Swallow three drops and you'll get a big surprise...but we'd save these for others you'd like to prank or embarrass.**

**Cheers,**

**Fred and George**

**PS. Friday, 9 pm, at the Humpbacked One-eyed Witch, we'll finish our story.**

"Well?" asked Hermione, looking skeptically at the little bottle.

"A joke product, apparently. No clue what it does though." he replied half-truthfully.

Ranma pocketed the bottle and the note. While he was curious as to the effects of the potion, he did not feel quite foolish enough to try it on himself. If it really was embarrassing, he did not want to be the one to personally find out; better to save it for people he did not like. More intriguing was their meeting invitation. Finally, almost two months after saving the twins from giant spiders intent on flaying them alive, he would find out the entire truth about what they were up to. After all this build-up and being forced to wait until after the holidays, Ranma hoped it would be worthwhile.

The next two days passed without much note. Ranma used his after-dinner training sessions to start at the lowest level of harnessing life energy: meditation. He felt optimistic about learning to use his magical energy, especially since it seemed to behave like ki. Meditation, however, was no where near as interesting to watch as ki interruption, a point which Freya was quick to note. She was rather vociferous in expressing her disappointment, to the point of being distracting, before Ranma assured her that his new training would eventually let him use his wand more often. Her attitude changed immediately because, as she had mentioned frequently, she was looking forward to showing him a few tricks with a wand. Secretly, he was sure she only wanted to have a wands-only rematch.

Now that they were freed from the burden of looking for Flamel, the "fab four" (as Fred and George had taken to calling them) found more time kick back and relax, at least when Hermione let them. She was quite the "swot-aholic" and thought that they should be as well. This seemed to bother Harry and Ron more than Ranma, mostly because he had already become rather swotty by necessity and, by and large, he usually finished his work to Hermione's satisfaction with time to spare. On the evenings when Harry and Ron were weighed down by their work, he and Hermione would help Neville with his work or discuss their lessons. When they all had free time, they amused themselves with talk of Quidditch, speculating on what else was guarding the Stone, and playing wizarding games like exploding snap and gobstones (a game very much like marbles, except the stones squirted nasty liquids in your face when struck). Ron, who was very good at wizard chess (which was exactly like Muggle chess, but with animated game pieces), would take turns at teaching both Ranma and Hermione to play and annihilating Harry. In return, Ranma was teaching them all how to play shogi, a Japanese game similar to chess that was an obsession of his father's.

Of course, the tensions with the Slytherins never failed to stir up a bit of trouble. It was especially difficult before Potions lesson, when the Slytherins knew they were at an advantage, thanks to Snape's favoritism. Malfoy, backed up by the dim-witted Crabbe and Goyle, was almost certain to have a snarky comment for them, particularly Harry, and Ranma could not help but respond. As usual, Malfoy did not waste an opportunity to belittle them that Friday morning.

"Well if it isn't Potty, the Weasel, and the Muggle." Malfoy said loudly as they approached the Potions classroom. "Oh, and the Squib as well, can't forget him. Imagine, someone more pathetic a wizard than _Longbottom_."

"Ranma, don't." Hermione warned, grabbing his arm. He gently disengaged himself and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, it takes more than stupid comments from _Slytherins_ to get a rise out of me." Ranma said, making 'Slytherin' seem like a rude word. He raised his voice so that everyone in the corridor could hear him. "Speaking of pathetic, though, maybe you can tell me how Slytherins eat, Malfoy, seeing as none of you have any guts."

All the Gryffindors, save Hermione, smirked at their classmates, who were shooting murderous glares at Ranma. Instead of Malfoy however, it was Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott who spoke up. This was somewhat surprising; while Zabini had never hidden the fact that he despised Gryffindors (and Ranma in particular, after he had called Slytherins cowards to their faces), he had kept a wary silence since Halloween. Nott was much more guarded and cautious and, quite frankly, Ranma had never heard him utter so much as a single word. They turned to face the Gryffindors, their eyes trained on Ranma.

"Shut your mouth, Saotome," Zabini said coldly, his eyes glittering dangerously, "before it runs a tab you can't pay."

"Unless you'd like someone to shut it for you." added Nott.

Ranma could not help it; he burst out laughing with genuine mirth. "And I suppose you two are going to do that? You're a hundred years too early to take me on."

"You think you're so tough, chink." Malfoy said haughtily. "You won't-"

But what he would not do, no one heard. Before he could finish his sentence, before it even registered to anyone that he had moved, Ranma was behind Malfoy, almost hovering over him. Ranma made sure not to touch the boy, but doing so was unnecessary to make his point. "Malfoy, if you're going to be racist, at least get it right." he said in the boy's ear, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "It's 'jap', not 'chink', you stupid git."

Snape chose that moment to enter the corridor, but he did not fool Ranma, who had felt the man's presence just around the corner for several minutes. "What is going on here?" he demanded.

"Just a friendly conversation, professor." Ranma said louder and more quickly than anyone else.

"I don't recall asking you, Saotome." Snape replied dismissively.

"You asked everyone-"

"Hold your tongue, boy!" Snape snapped. "Malfoy, explain."

Ranma sauntered back to the Gryffindors, rolling his eyes as Malfoy told his sob story to Snape. "Trying to instigate a fight, eh, Saotome?" Snape said silkily. "Twenty points from Gryffindor."

Ranma rolled his eyes and threw an infuriating smirk at the man, but did not argue. "I'll have those back before lunch." he said to Hermione as the class filed into the classroom, not bothering to keep his voice down.

"Saotome! Come here!" Snape hissed. Ranma stalked back to the classroom entrance where Snape was holding the door open, looking furious. He slammed the door closed after Ranma. "I've had just about enough of your cheek, boy!"

Ranma was unphased by the man's outburst. "That wasn't cheek, professor, just a statement of fact. I _will_ have those points back, since they were taken unfairly." he said coolly, sounding almost bored.

"You dare-"

"As long as you play favorites and penalize us for not being Slytherins, I'll keep 'running to McGonagall', as you said." Ranma stated defiantly.

Snape switched tactics. "How ironic that you so openly admit to that. Where's the vaunted Gryffindor bravery you all go on about?" he sneered.

Ranma smirked again, satisfied that he had gotten under the man's skin. "Where it's always been. Only I'm not stupid enough to play this game on just your terms."

Snape opened his mouth to reply but stopped abruptly. He gave Ranma a shrewd, penetrating look, as if he were seeing him properly for the first time. Ranma remained calm under the scrutiny, but the man's sudden change in demeanor disappointed and, in a way, unnerved him. Snape stiffly opened the door and gestured roughly inside. "Take your seat, now!" he ordered coldly.

Everyone's eyes were on him as he strode to where Hermione was sitting, but Ranma hardly noticed. He took his seat next to Hermione, trying to fathom the sudden change in the potions master. "What happened?" Hermione mouthed silently after Snape had swept past.

"Nothing." Ranma whispered, but he could not help feeling that this was not entirely true.

Ranma spent the rest of the day wondering about Snape, remembering the penetrating glare the man had affixed him with before class. He had a lingering suspicion that it could mean nothing good, especially after his talk with Professor McGonagall. Snape had informed her that he was restoring the twenty points, but he had not explained why. Though she praised him for standing up for himself, Ranma could not be happy with the turn of events. It was all too suspiciously convenient for his taste. People like Snape did not change their stripes overnight, much less in several hours

Fortunately, Ranma had his meeting with Fred and George to take his mind off Snape's odd behavior. At five minutes to nine, he slipped quietly out of the portrait hole and into the corridor, keeping his ears sharp for approaching footsteps. His feet followed a well memorized route that he had planned the day prior. It was rather convoluted and long but, if anyone heard him, they would be hard pressed to follow him exactly, and with his speed he could cover the distance with a minute to spare. Behind tapestries, down dark corridors, down several flights of stairs (remembering to jump the trick step), and through a hidden door, Ranma emerged in a classroom right across from the statue. He was most surprised to see that he was not the only person in the room. At the door, looking out into the hall, stood the Weasley twins. They had not heard him yet, so he quietly closed the hidden door and walked up behind them.

"Who are we waiting for?" he asked quietly.

The twins nearly jumped three feet straight up, and the looks on their faces were priceless. "Blimey, Ranma, are you trying to give us coronaries?" Fred hissed, but he looked slightly amused.

"I'm impressed." added George. "We didn't find the secret door into this room until last term."

"Quiet, someone's coming." said Fred, closing the door so that only a sliver of the corridor could be seen. Ranma concentrated and, shortly, could feel a magical aura approaching, but it's size told him that it was neither the caretaker nor any of the teachers. "It's Lee. LEE! In here!"

Fred opened the door and waved the boy in. Lee closed the door behind him. He seemed slightly out of breath, his face shining with barely contained anticipation. "Sorry I'm late, had to take a detour around Ms. Norris." he said.

"Quite all right, mate." George said cheerfully. "Let's get down to it, eh?"

Both Lee and Ranma made to pull up a chair, but Fred waved them off. "Not here. We need a bit more privacy. Follow us."

Fred and George led the way out into the corridor and behind the statue of the Humpbacked Witch. George pulled out his wand, tapped the statue, and whispered "_Dissendium!_" Lee and Ranma gasped as a hole opened in the statue's base, wide enough for a full grown man to slide through with ease, with a ladder that descended into the inky darkness. Fred lit his wand and led the way down the hole, followed by Ranma, Lee, and George, who tapped the edge of the hole with his wand to close it. At the bottom, they lit their wands and followed Fred through the narrow passageway. Said passageway was roughly hewn from stone and the floor was smooth cobblestone. Ranma saw sconces for torches, but they were empty.

After several minutes of walking, Fred called a halt. Finding two loose rocks on the floor, he and his brother transfigured them into wooden torches and lit them with their wands before setting them in two sconces. The brothers sat on the floor and invited their companions to do the same. "All right, now that we can speak a bit more freely-" said George.

"-we think it's time we show you our little secret-" said Fred.

"-and explain what it had to do with our little incident in November, among other things." finished George.

"About bloody time." Lee muttered.

Fred pretended not to hear him. Instead, he reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of parchment that was folded very much like a Muggle street map. It looked old and mangy, the creases well worn and the edges tattered. Fred spread it out in front of them with loving care, as if it were the finest silk. Ranma and Lee could not hide their skepticism. "Okay, so what's the ratty parchment for?" Ranma asked point blank.

"_Ratty parchment_?" George said, sounding very affronted, as if Ranma had insulted his mother. "That 'ratty parchment', I'll have you know, is the greatest aid imaginable to mischief-makers. It is directly related to our success, thank you very much."

Ranma could not imagine how such an old piece of parchment could be so important and the expression on his face clearly said as much. "Brother, please enlighten these poor souls." said George.

"With pleasure." Fred nodded, raising his wand and tapping the parchment once. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

For a second, nothing happened, and Ranma wondered if this was Fred and George's idea of a joke. Then, magical energy seemed to burst from nowhere, washing over the parchment. Thin lines of ink began running across the surface, as if a dozen invisible quills were drawing a complex picture. The lines intersected and ran parallel; they dotted and dashed and spiraled, and eventually Ranma could make out a very large, very detailed map. At the top, great, curly green letters filled in, proclaiming:

**Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs**

**Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers**

**Are Proud to Present:**

**The Marauders' Map**

Indeed it was a map, the most wonderful map Ranma had ever seen. The entirety of Hogwarts was laid out in fine detail, but even more amazing were the hundreds of little dots that moved about the map, each labeled with a name in tiny writing. It took only a few seconds for the implications of this map to dawn on him. "This map...it can show anyone in the castle?" he asked, not looking away from the map.

"Oh yeah, that's easy." Fred said proudly. "Of course, if you were looking for someone in particular..."

"Snape." Ranma said automatically. The map seemed to have heard him, for the image scrolled a bit and zoomed in until the dot labeled "Severus Snape" was dead center on the parchment. From the looks of things, the potions master was in his personal quarters in the dungeons. "Whoa."

"We're glad you like it." George said with a chuckle. "Of course, that's not all it does. It's dead useful for finding quick routes or hidden passages."

"All I want to know is where you two got your hands on something this brilliant." Lee said, finally speaking. "This is better than when you found out how to get into the kitchens!"

"Oh that, the map told us." Fred said sheepishly.

"The map told you..." Lee said, his face darkening. "That was two bloody years ago! You're telling me you had the sodding map all this time and didn't tell me?"

"Well, we were going to tell you-" said George awkwardly.

"-eventually. We sort of put it off." said Fred.

"_Sort of put it off?_" growled Lee, his voice rising. "You-"

"Lee, can't you tell them off later? You know, when we're not out of bounds?" Ranma said, interrupting the boy. This seemed to calm him down a bit. "Okay, so where _did_ you get this map? You can't have bought it anywhere, not something this dangerous."

"Well of course we didn't buy it." George replied. "We nicked it-"

Lee rolled his eyes. "Figures."

"-from Filch's office." George finished, ignoring Lee's comment. "This was back in first year, mind you, when we were young and innocent-"

Both Lee and Ranma snorted derisively. "Well, more innocent than now." Fred said.

"Anyway, Filch ran us in for setting off dungbombs in the corridors-"

"Why he was so twisted up over that is beyond me." Fred added with an evil grin.

"While we were in there, we noticed a drawer he had in his filing cabinet marked 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous', so, of course, there was only one thing to do..."

The same thought went through Ranma's head that he was sure went through their's: ransack that drawer. By the mischievous grin on Lee's face, he was thinking the exact same thing. Fred and George smiled approvingly before continuing. "I smartly diverted Filch's attention with a well tossed dungbomb and, in those precious few moments I'd bought, Fred retrieved this." He pointed at the parchment fondly.

"But why hasn't Filch taken it back?" asked Ranma. "That's the first thing I'd do if I were him."

"Yeah, well, I doubt he knows it's missing." Fred said with a shrug. "Besides, we don't think he ever learned how to work it. If he had tried to confiscate it, we could've plead ignorance and claimed it was a piece of scrap parchment."

Lee and Ranma watched the map in fascination for several more minutes, the twins leaving them to their own thoughts. Soon, though, the novelty began to wear off, and Ranma was keen to get back on the main topic. "Right, so what exactly does this have to do with tramping about the Forbidden Forest, stealing acromantula eggs?"

"That wasn't the real reason we were out, it was just a little detour. We've actually been making trips into the forest since September, looking for something." said George.

"Specifically, a magic beacon." Fred added.

"But why-" said Lee, but George cut him off.

"I think it will make more sense if we explain everything, which is where the map comes in." He raised his wand and tapped the map, saying, "Show me where to find the Marauders."

There was another pause as the map wiped itself clean, then more words began appearing on the map.

**Mr. Padfoot wonders how stupid one would have to be to have forgotten the directions after asking so many times before.**

**Mr. Prongs recommends a potion for brain rot and a memory charm, so that Mr. Weasley can stop asking the same, boring question.**

The four of them snickered as the writing continued.

**Mr. Wormtail recommends that Mr. And Mr. Weasley give up, being too dimwitted to write the directions down the hundred other times they've asked.**

And finally:

**Mr. Moony consents to give the directions, _yet again_, provided Mr. Saotome and Mr. Jordan aren't as great prats as Mr. and Mr. Weasley.**

"No problem there, we can't possibly match you two on that score." Ranma remarked.

"Ha ha, we've got a comedian in our midst, George." Fred deadpanned. He pointed at the map. "You'll fit right in with that lot."

The map cleared itself again, then more writing appeared.

**Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs**

**Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers**

**Are Proud to Present:**

**The Marauders' Challenge**

It cleared again, and this time the words were smaller.

**We, the Marauders, being of sound minds and bodies, having set forth all our knowledge in this living document, and being concerned for the future generations of mischief makers at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, do hereby issue the following challenge, to be embarked upon by those deemed worthy, so that they might take up their rightful mantle as inheritors of the Marauders' Legacy, and be recognized, in spirit and in name, as Marauders, to carry on the spirit of mischief making, and to pass on their knowledge when the time comes, as was done by those who came before.**

**Those wishing to take on the challenge, present yourself to the map.**

"You two wanted to know what we were up to. This," said George, looking very serious. "is what we were up to."

"We've known about the challenge for more than two years and we've been cracking at it, despite what the good gentlemen thought of our prospects." Fred said. "They said that the challenge was designed with at least four people in mind, but we thought we'd be clever enough to do them with just two. As much as we hate to admit it, though, they're right; this is too much for us to do ourselves."

Ranma thought he could see where they were headed. "But why us? Or, really, why me?" he asked. "I'm just a first year, I barely know any magic, and even then what I cast is weak."

Fred shrugged. "Yeah, maybe, but you've got other redeeming qualities. You're fast, strong, and you've got a good head on your shoulders. Not to mention shaping up to be the best potions student in your year, despite Snape. Besides, anything you need to know, we can teach you."

"As for Lee, we know his strengths inside and out after all these years. Just like you, he's got skills where we're lacking. Even better, he's in good with most teachers and, if we play it right, we can set him up to be prefect in a couple years, which will be perfect for when we become Marauders." said George, nodding at Lee, who was unsuccessfully trying not to look too proud of himself. "Really, it's perfect if you think about it."

"So are you boys in?" Fred said finally. "We've got hard work ahead, but we know you two will make the difference, and, to be honest, we need you."

"Don't know why you bothered to ask." Lee scoffed, shaking his head. "Like I'd let you gits have all the fun around here without me!"

"Good man." George said, clapping Lee on the shoulder. "Ranma?"

Ranma looked at the three older boys, thinking of all the rule breaking to which he would be agreeing. When he thought of it, though, he realized that breaking rules had become part and parcel of his existence at Hogwarts. He was doing it so often and casually that he hardly blinked an eye at the prospect of making a hobby of it. It was almost becoming second nature. Besides, the twins had done the right thing to insure his cooperation; they had piqued his curiosity and his sense of honor with this mysterious challenge. Saotomes never backed away from challenges.

"Yeah, all right." Ranma nodded solemnly. "I'm in."

"Excellent!" said Fred, grinning widely. "Now then, let me see both of your right thumbs."

With a surprisingly fast move, he pricked both thumbs with a small pin. "Sorry, the map requires it. Just stick your thumb on it." Reluctantly, the two boys pressed their now bleeding thumbs to the map.

The moment his thumb touched the parchment, Ranma could feel tendrils of magical energy hold it down while four others flowed into his body through the pinprick. Trying not to panic, he warily monitored the tendrils as they snaked up his arm, through his neck, and into his head. Whatever they were doing, it was not unpleasant, though he was curious what the tickling sensation he felt in his mind signified. Soon, the tendrils retracted and returned to the parchment, and Ranma felt his thumb loosen from the parchment. He was surprised to see that no blood was on the map, nor did a pinprick remain on his thumb.

As he and Lee rubbed their slightly sore thumbs, Ranma could sense the map's magic churning, and he had the vague notion that it was actually thinking. It glowed momentarily before more writing appeared.

**The Marauders accept the bids of Mr. Saotome and Mr. Jordan, having proved their dedication to mischief making, and having joined in fellowship with Mr. and Mr. Weasley for the purpose of mischief and attempting the Marauders' Challenge.**

The map cleared yet again. "This is where it gets good." Fred murmured as more words appeared.

**The Marauders' Challenge consists of four tasks, to be completed in any order, the results of which must be confirmed by the Marauders' Map. Challengers are forbidden from sharing these details with those not participating in the Challenge. Failure to comply disqualifies the challenger and their team automatically, among other things.**

"'Among other things'?" remarked Lee. "What do you suppose that means?"

"I don't think we want to find out." George said seriously as more writing appeared.

**Mr. Moony's Task**

**The Marauders' Map knows many secrets, but it is by no means comprehensive. Hogwarts is large and old and has much to reveal. Your challenge, then, is to extend the work of the Marauders by finding a secret of Hogwarts that the Marauders did not.**

**Mr Wormtail's Task**

**The Marauders' Map never lies, but neither does it share all of its secrets. Your task is to find the hidden meeting place of the Marauders, the only place on the grounds not on the map.**

**Mr. Padfoot's Task**

**The Marauders Map can track anyone on the Hogwarts grounds. It is your task to discover the means by which it was created and to find the source of it's power.**

**Mr. Prongs' Task**

**Last, but not least, to prove yourselves worthy of being called Marauders, you must surpass your predecessors. Using all you've learned, you must create the replacement for this map, one which is superior in every way and bears your unique touch.**

**Good luck, Marauders-in-training, and may you prove yourselves worthy of the Marauders' Legacy.**

The map went blank again before black ink lines snaked across the surface, revealing the map and it's labeled dots. Ranma was not sure how he should respond and, from the look on Lee's face, he was not alone. He was expecting something more...well, challenging. Fred tapped the map again with his wand and said "Mischief managed.", causing the map to go completely blank.

"A bit to take in there, eh?" said George knowingly.

"I suppose." replied Lee with a shrug. "Sounds dead simple to me."

Fred smirked. "That's what we thought too, and look where we are now."

"Yeah, but, no offense Ranma, you were first years. You hardly knew anything." Lee countered.

"I think I agree with Lee. It didn't sound too complicated-"

"Of course it didn't, that's part of the map's way." George insisted. "Trust me, we haven't been sitting on our hands these last two years."

"So," Ranma said carefully, realizing his flippant remark was nettling the twins. "So what have you learned about the tasks so far?"

George sighed. "Almost nothing on the first two. The Marauders were really thorough, down to the the last broom cupboard. We've been checking every room we can, but there's hundreds in the castle."

"What about outside the castle?" asked Lee thoughtfully.

"We've thought of it, but we've barely scratched the surface inside." said Fred. "Now, on the other two tasks, we're making some good headway. We think we've found some of the spells, though we're not nearly ready to do them ourselves. We still haven't found the source of power-"

"And the source is what you two were looking for out in the forest." Ranma added as this realization dawned on him.

"Got it in one." George said approvingly.

"Okay, so we're not totally behind on everything." Lee mused. "What I want to know is what exactly is the 'Marauders' Legacy' anyway?"

The twins looked rather embarrassed. "We, err, haven't quite sorted that out." George admitted.

"So you're doing this without even knowing why?" Ranma asked incredulously.

"Not really, no." replied Fred. "I mean, it's not all about the reward."

"Exactly. We get to prove ourselves as mischief makers, and we'll probably learn loads of useful stuff in the process. If that's all there is to it, it'd be worth the trouble." added George. "Of course, it wouldn't hurt if the Legacy were a load of Galleons..."

The four did not return to the common room until after midnight. They had continued discussing the map and had begun formulating plans for tackling the challenges. The allure of a late night romp with the most useful rule breaking tool available was too great, however, and before long they had abandoned the secret passageway in favor of wandering the deserted corridors. Along the way, the twins pointed out various hidden passages of which no one, save Filch, was aware. The twins even insisted on going for a jaunt into the forest, but Ranma and Lee managed to convince their friends to postpone it for another evening. As tempting as such a trip sounded, venturing into the Forbidden Forest unprepared was not the brightest idea; their close call in November had proved that. Besides, Ranma did not relish the idea of carrying _three _people out of the forest while being chased by an angry mob of dangerous magical creatures.

After that night, Ranma found himself in an entirely different circle of friends. While it was true that the twins had apparently made a pragmatic decision when asking him to join in, the fact remained that Lee, Fred, and George were fun to hang around. Where Hermione was almost always very straight-laced and studious, the twins were not afraid to play around and skive off homework in favor of a bit of mischief. They were also far more confident and rebellious than Harry and Ron. Not to mention that their good-natured pranking, affable personalities, and connection with the Quidditch team made them fairly popular in the house.

Still, Ranma enjoyed the friendship of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, especially after the troll, Fluffy, and Flamel. He felt pulled in both directions, by one group where he was the loudest and most flagrant rule-breaker and another where the opposite was true. He did his best to divide time evenly between the "fab four" and the "new Marauders" (as they had taken to calling themselves). This usually meant that he was out late and up early on the weekends with Fred, George, and Lee but spent most of his evenings with Ron, Hermione, and Harry.

Meanwhile, Quidditch practice had ramped up significantly since start of term. Wood was pushing them harder than ever in preparation for their February match with Hufflepuff and, for the first time, Ranma was glad he was only a reserve player. Gryffindor stood to overtake Slytherin in the house championship with a win, the first time in seven years. Ranma had never gotten the impression that Hufflepuff was a serious threat and, like the twins, he wondered why Wood was so worried. This was before Wood gave the team some very bad news: Snape was refereeing the next match.

"_Snape's_ refereeing? When's he ever refereed a Quidditch match?" spluttered George. The news had caused him to fall face first off his broom. "He's not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin!"

Ranma thought this might be the understatement of the year. The rest of the team were quite as vocal as George in their protests. "Look, it's not my fault. We've just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape doesn't have a reason to pick on us." said Wood.

"Are you serious?" Ranma spoke up, sounding incredulous. "You all could sit on your brooms and twiddle your thumbs and he'd make up penalties against you."

"Exactly." Fred agreed. "Oliver, we're going to be penalized whatever we do, so we have to take Snape out of the picture. We can't just beat Hufflepuff, we've got to annihilate them so they have no chance, even if they get the snitch."

"Either that, or I've got to catch the snitch quickly." said Harry.

It was a moment before Wood came to a decision. "We'll do both. Chasers, you're going to hardly practice defense; leave that to me and the twins. Harry, I want you in the mix catching the snitch as many times as you can, the faster the better."

After a bit more practice, the Gryffindor team stopped for the evening. Ranma usually waited for the twins but, seeing the worried look on Harry's face, he decided to accompany him back to the common room. After quickly changing out of their practice robes, he and Harry rushed back down to the common room, where they found Ron beating Hermione at chess.

"Don't talk to me just now." said Ron as they sat down. "I need to concen- what's with you two?"

Hermione looked up and immediately became concerned, as both Harry and Ranma looked worried. "You tell them, Harry."

"Snape's refereeing our next match." Harry said evenly. "Wood just told us."

Both Ron and Hermione's eyes widened. "Don't play." Hermione said at once.

"Say you're ill." Ron offered.

"Pretend to break your leg." Hermione suggested.

"_Really_ break your leg." said Ron.

"Will you two get a grip." Ranma snapped. "Harry's got to play, we haven't got a reserve seeker."

Harry nodded in agreement. "I can't _not_ play, this game is too important."

"So's your life!" Hermione countered. "Remember, he tried to kill you."

Harry was about to respond but stopped abruptly because, at that moment, Neville toppled into the common room. He looked sweaty and uncomfortable, and it was soon apparent why; he had been forced to hop back to Gryffindor Tower because someone had hit him with the Leg-locker curse. Everyone laughed except Hermione, who quickly performed the counter-curse and helped the boy to his feet.

"What happened?" she asked as she led him over to sit next to Ranma.

"M-malfoy." Neville said shakily. "I-I met him outside the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice that on."

Ranma's face darkened at the mention of Malfoy. He was beginning to think that, like Snape, Malfoy needed to learn a lesson about bullying.

"Report him to Professor McGonagall!" said Hermione.

"I don't want any more trouble." Neville said, shaking his head sadly.

"Come on, Neville, what kind of talk is that?" Ranma demanded. "That's what Malfoy wants you to think, that you've got no choice but to put up with it."

"T-that's easy for you to say." Neville said, his voice wavering. "No one bothers you because you're strong-"

Ranma's voice softened a bit. "Are you joking? What about Hermione, or Ron, or Harry?" Neville did not seem to know how to respond to this.

"He's right, Neville. You've got to stand up for yourself." said Ron. "He's used to walking all over people, but that's no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier!"

"There's no need to tell me that I'm not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy's already done that." Neville choked. He looked like he was about to cry.

Ranma was about to chastise his friend again, but Harry pulled out a chocolate frog and handed it to Neville. "You're worth twelve of Malfoy." Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn't it, and where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin."

"Th-thanks Harry." the boy said, a weak smile forming on his face as he unwrapped the frog. "I think I'll go to bed. Do you want the card? You collect them, don't you?"

As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the famous wizard card. "Dumbledore again. He was the first one I ever-" He gasped and stared at the back of the card. Harry looked up, a bemused grin on his face. "You won't believe who I just found."

"Harry, what're you on about?" Ron said, eying the chess board.

"Flamel! We spent all that time looking and he was right under our noses. I _knew_ I'd read his name before. Here, look." He passed the card to Ron, who read the back of Dumbledore's card.

"Blimey, he's right, look." Ron said, handing it to Ranma.

"Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and for his work on alchemy with his partner Nicolas Flamel..." Ranma read aloud. He, too, wore a bemused smile. "Well, this would've been more useful if we'd read it before Christmas."

"Hear hear!" Harry and Ron agreed. Apparently they, too, were thinking of the piles of books they had skimmed through.

"Well, we'd have found him eventually." Hermione said airily. "But at least we're not just finding out."

They all nodded, thinking to themselves. "I'm going to play." Harry told them suddenly. "If I don't, all the Slytherins will think I'm just too scared to face Snape. I'll show them. It'll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win."

"Just as long as we're not wiping _you_ off the pitch." said Hermione.

"We just have to be ready for him to try something." Ranma said reassuringly. "Don't worry about Snape, Harry, we'll take care of him if he tries anything funny. Just concentrate on catching that snitch!"

Harry impressed Ranma very much over the next few weeks, considering the pressure that he was under. Expectations and hopes were high, as this was the first time anyone had a chance of overtaking Slytherin in the house championship in nearly seven years, but everyone knew it would be an uphill battle with Snape calling the game. Everyone on the team was looking to Harry for the win. Of course, that was not the only reason Harry had to be concerned about Snape, but he assured Ranma, Hermione, and Ron that he would be fine.

Of course, saying that was easy, while dealing with the potions master was not. Snape seemed to find a way to be wherever Harry was, so Ranma, Hermione, and Ron made sure at least one of them was with Harry at all times. They could not avoid his class, however, and Snape took full advantage of this. It seemed that the man devoted as much time to belittling and harassing Harry as he did to teaching. Ranma tried to distract Snape away from Harry but, since their confrontation, Snape had generally ignored him.

The day of the match, the four friends walked down to the changing room. Harry looked slightly green, but they knew it was not from nervousness. "You concentrate on catching that snitch." Ranma advised. "We'll worry about Snape, all right?"

"You'll be brilliant Harry." Ron said. Hermione nodded, but she could not seem to bring herself to say anything. Harry nodded, flashed a weak smile, and headed inside.

They walked around the pitch to the Gryffindor side, which was slowly filling with chattering students. Both Hermione and Ron looked very worried. "Come on, you two, everything'll be fine." Ranma said bracingly. "We've just got to follow the plan."

Hermione and Ron had been practicing the Leg-locker curse in case Snape tried to hurt Harry. For his part, Ranma was to stay at ground level, beneath the stands, ready to rush onto the pitch to lend a hand or, if necessary, try to catch a falling Harry. Meanwhile, Hermione would sit in the Gryffindor side and Ron would sit in the Ravenclaw side. Between them, they had devised signals to quickly alert and call each other over. As Ron and Hermione headed up to their posts, Ranma could not help but feel as apprehensive, especially considering the meager defenses at their disposal.

He had walked back around the pitch just as the Gryffindor Quidditch team emerged from the changing room. Ranma nodded encouragingly at them, especially at Harry, but was surprised to see that Harry was beaming. "What's up, Harry?"

Harry gestured into the stands. "Dumbledore's at the match! Snape won't be stupid enough to try anything!"

Ranma's face broke into a grin, and he felt his worries about the match fade away. Harry was right; Snape would have to be mad to try anything. Ranma suspected that Dumbledore was not just attending the match because he suddenly fancied watching some Quidditch.

"Come on, Harry, let's win this." Wood said, clapping Harry on the shoulder.

Ranma walked slowly beneath the stands back towards the Gryffindor side. It would probably be a while before the match ended, he reasoned, so there was no reason to hurry. He was just passing beneath the Ravenclaw side when someone stepped out from behind a support column. Ranma immediately recognized the splayed teeth and beady eyes of Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain. Ranma smirked and made to walk around the boy, but Flint stepped into his path.

"Not so fast, Saotome." he said, flashing an evil smile. "We've got a bit of business with you."

"_We?_" asked Ranma. Flint gave a sharp whistle, and Ranma then realized what "we" meant. As Flint took several steps back, several more people emerged from behind support columns, and he could hear at least six more people behind him. Looking over his shoulder at these new arrivals, Ranma could clearly see the green serpent of Slytherin house on their robes. They were all at least fourth years, by their looks, they were all grinning evilly, and they all had their wands out, pointed at him. The twins' warning came back to Ranma and he gave a rather annoyed sigh. "You're all going to gang up on me, is that it? How surprising."

"That's right, Saotome. Consider this a lesson. No one challenges our house and gets away with it." Flint said arrogantly, pointing his wand at Ranma's heart.

Ranma yawned widely. "Is that so? You should wait until after the match to get a hundred more _Snivellins_, make this a little more fair." Ranma said even more arrogantly than Flint.

"You talk big, Saotome." said one of the other boys. "But we all know you're useless with a wand and you can't fight us with your hands."

Ranma laughed, partly to mock the boys arrayed against him, but also because he had just had a great idea. "You think I need my hands to beat cowards like you? I'm about to make you all feel _really _stupid." He reached into his robes and pulled out a small bottle, which he uncorked. Ripping off part of his robes, he doused it with the cloudy yellow liquid so that it was nearly dripping. Ranma tied one end of the soaked cloth around his wand, then grasped the other end of his wand with his mouth. Finally, he folded his arms across his chest, casting a look of supreme disdain at Flint. "Well, come on then." he said through tightly closed teeth.

Later, Ranma would realize how just useful it was to be able to sense magic. Before any of the spells had really started, he could feel the energy build up and made his first move. Skipping to the side, he whipped his head around, sending drops of moisture from the soaked rag straight into the open mouth of a tall black boy who was halfway through an incantation. The boy spluttered and stumbled backwards onto the ground. Ranma barely registered this, instead ducking as several spells collided and ricocheted overhead. He rolled, keeping the rag off the ground, then nudged another boy's wand hand with his forehead, causing the spell to hit another boy in the circle. Ranma whipped the rag and, like before, sent drops of the liquid into the boys mouth. He Hooked his right foot behind the boy's knee and sent him sprawling.

Three boys were now out and the others had quickly realized they had missed their mark. Ranma charged Flint, whose face paled as Ranma narrowly avoided a curse at point-blank range. He, too, tasted a few drops from the rag before Ranma pushed him over with a slight nudge of his shoulder. He spun around, avoiding several more curses and causing moisture from the rag to fly. Two of the boys coughed violently before dropping their wands. Ranma turned from them and did a handless cartwheel, feeling his hair stand on end as he, again, narrowly avoided spells. With a great leap, Ranma landed on the shoulders of the tallest boy remaining and, hooking his foot on the boy's wand arm, forced the boy to shoot his comrade with a spell intended for him. He flipped forward and whipped the rag, the droplets somehow finding the boy's mouth on the way down.

Ranma was now down to just two opponents, both of which looked terrified and were backing away. Ranma suddenly ducked just in time to avoid a jet of red light that hit one of the boys square in the face. He scrambled as more bolts of magic chased after him. The last boy fell to an errant spell as well as Ranma flipped over his head. Turning, he saw one more attacker, a girl who looked to be in seventh year, and she was throwing curses at him furiously. Ranma walked up to her, avoiding the magic effortlessly, and within five paces he was looking up into her face, her wand arm forced away by his left foot.

"Are you stupid, or do you just want to end up like them?" Ranma said after casually removing his wand from his mouth. She looked stricken, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "You're lucky I don't fight girls. Now go away."

He turned his back on the girl, surveying the damage. Feeling magic energy growing behind him, Ranma sighed and, with a strong backwards toss, sent the still soaking rag over his shoulder. He smirked, hearing a gagging sound followed by a sharp "squawk!".

"You can come out now, Ron." Ranma said as he stretched his arms. The young Weasley emerged from behind a column wearing a look of awe not quite unlike the one he'd had after the fight with the Troll. "You all right?"

Ron nodded. "That," he said breathlessly, "was the most brilliant thing I've ever seen! What did you do to them?"

"I made them hurt themselves."

"Not that, _that_." Ron pointed at Flint, who seemed to be wearing the most realistic chicken costume in existence. The feathers on his belly were unmistakably yellow.

"Oh, that. I used the present your brothers gave me. I had an idea of what it did but I had never tried it, so I thought now was as good a time as any to test it out." Ranma explained. "I didn't think it would be that dramatic though."

"I'll say. Ten on one, you with your hands in your pockets, and managing to take out half and force the other half to take a potion that turns them into _yellow bellied chickens_." Ron said, barely getting the words out due to his laughter. "Not to mention the bird you just took out by _turning her into a bird_. Oh man, wait until everyone hears about this!"

Ranma could not help but laugh as well. Ranma made sure to step on Flint as they walked back to the Gryffindor side. "Say, Ranma, how'd you know I was there?" asked Ron suddenly.

"I saw that girl holding your arm right before the fight started. I was about to come help you out when she started trying to hex me."

"I sure hope she likes being a chicken." Ron said angrily. "Then again, I guess Slytherins are used to being chickens..."

A mad, roaring cheer went up. "I guess we scored." Ranma said.

Ron cocked his head to the side, listening closely, before shaking his head. "That doesn't sound like a goal...it sounds like we've won!"

They rushed up the stairs and into a scene of chaos. The Gryffindors were going wild, cheering and clapping one another on the shoulder. Out on the pitch, Ranma could make out the Gryffindor team, which had hoisted Harry onto their shoulders. The sun caught a glint of gold in his outstretched hand. Ron gave a great whoop before they began fighting against the wave of Gryffindors rushing to get on the pitch. Finally, they found Hermione, who seemed to be trying to wake Neville, while Dean and Seamus looked on. Dean's lip was cut and his nose was bleeding, and Seamus had the start of an ugly black eye, but they both looked fit to burst with pride.

"What happened?" Ranma asked.

"Beat the snot out of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, that's what!" said Seamus gleefully. "You two should've seen it, Neville was amazing!"

"Yeah, he shouldn't've tried taking on all three at once though. But we cleaned 'em up all right." Dean added with a grin.

Ron and Ranma looked at each other and burst out laughing. Seamus, Dean, and Neville had won their fight with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Harry had won the match despite Snape. And Ranma had won against ten older and determined Slytherins. The day could not get any been better for Gryffindor. "Come on, let's get Neville to the hospital wing." Ranma said cheerfully, hoisting the unconscious boy on his back.

An hour later, it seemed the entire house was waiting in the common room for the team to return. When Wood finally did lead the triumphant team in, they were greeted with as thunderous applause as they had received on the pitch. Fred and George made a big show of being embarrassed, though everyone knew they reveled in the attention, before they promised to return with food. Harry, however, was not among them. It would be twenty more minutes before he arrived, but he was not wearing a jubilant expression as they had expected.

"Harry, where _have_ you been?" Hermione squeaked.

"Never mind that." Harry cut across before Ron could say a word. "Let's find a room, you wait 'til you hear this..."

They found a deserted classroom and shut the door. Harry turned to face them, looking worried. "I just saw Snape and Quirrell talking in the woods."

"So wh-" began Ron, but Harry cut him off.

"He mentioned the Philosopher's Stone and he asked Quirrell about getting past Fluffy. Snape was threatening him, he said that Quirrell didn't want him as an enemy." said Harry. "So we were right, it _is_ the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus'-"

"We were right to think there are other protections on the Stone. Quirrell probably put some anti-Dark Arts spell on it that Snape needs to break." Ranma said. He was thinking of the implications of this news, and none of them were any good.

"So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" Hermione said in alarm.

"It'll be gone by Tuesday." Ron said.

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 12: Cat and Dragon**

There are only **4** chapters remaining in Book 1...

Author's Notes:

Another chapter down. That phrase always amazes me, considering my track record for actually finishing stories. With four chapters remaining, I see no reason why this one won't be completed. Whether it's done "on time" is another thing entirely. After missing my deadline the last four chapters, I'm wondering if two weeks is a reasonable time frame for me. I'm going to keep it as my goal for each chapter, but pardon me if I miss it by three or four days. I hope you enjoyed this chapter (not hating it will work as well). The next one will be fun, and I'm sure some astute readers will have an idea of the non-canon content will involve.

I'm going to rant, so feel free to skip this part. I normally like reviews with negative feedback, it's good to see what you, as a writer, could do better. I wasn't so happy with a few that I got on the last chapter. I won't quote them, but the gist is "don't put things in the story that I don't approve of." It's fine to not be happy with the direction of a story, but it's also very annoying, as a writer, to have people second guess me so early in a long series. At this point, I'm the only one who knows where things are going and why they are they way they are. I can't see how any reader could possibly know when or if I'm making a mistake (outside of Harry Potter canon). To that end, there's a reason why the Tendos, Ukyo, and the Kunos are magical, it will be revealed eventually, and you'll have to trust me that it will work out correctly. Otherwise, you're welcome to read another story that will "do it right" or, even better, write your own Ranma-Harry Potter crossover. As far as I'm concerned, this is the story that I want to tell, and that's all that really matters.

The usual thanks are in order; to Kim for reading over this and making some great suggestions; to the reviewers for taking time to say something; to those who have this story on favorites and C2s that are helping spread the word; and to the readers who drive up my hit count! A special thanks to reviewers and people who have me on favorites for directing me (through your profiles) to some really nice fics.

Sorry for making you read this long A.N. section!


	12. Cat and Dragon

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: Please note that this chapter contains and is inspired by portions of Chapter 14 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits).

**Chapter 12: Cat and Dragon**

Professor Quirrell, it seemed, was made of much stronger stuff than they thought because, contrary to Ron's prediction, Fluffy was still on guard in the third floor corridor and Snape was still sweeping about the castle like an ill-tempered bat. Over the following weeks, Quirrell seemed to grow paler and more nervous, but was apparently holding up under Snape's pressure. As they could do nothing without proof against Snape, the four resigned themselves to keeping a wary vigil over Quirrell, Snape, and Fluffy. Ranma did not feel worried, especially since Dumbledore's presence would probably keep Snape in line and, failing that, he felt confident he could handle the potions master if they had to fight to keep the Stone safe.

Of course, the uproar over the defeat of Marcus Flint and his Slytherin confederates helped distract Ranma from worrying about the Stone too much. When the triumphant Gryffindors had returned to the common room after the match, they were unaware of what had happened, being too caught up in celebrating their win to notice the throng of Ravenclaws crowded around the base of the stands on their side. The revelation about Snape and Quirrell's meeting had driven the fight from both Ron and Ranma's minds, so it was not until Seamus, Dean, and Neville returned from the hospital wing, nearly bursting with news but too winded from running to be comprehensible, that anyone heard about the incident.

"Never believe...Slytherins...hospital wing..." gasped Seamus as he doubled over, clutching his side. The boys were made to sit down and catch their breath while everyone speculated over the few words they had heard. Ron and Ranma shared knowing looks and grinned widely. Before Ron could speak up, however, Ranma cut him off.

"Hold on a few minutes, Ron." he said with a knowing smirk. "We don't want to spoil it."

Harry and Hermione looked questioningly at the two. "What, you two know what they're on about?" asked Harry.

"Maybe..." Ron answered rather smugly. "You're right Ranma, we _don't_ want to spoil the surprise."

Harry scowled. "Come on, what're you two not telling us?" But Ron and Ranma would only grin at him and exchange amused looks. Hermione was silent, amazingly, but was casting suspicious glances at them.

After a minute, Dean seemed to have gotten his breath back and, as such, was bombarded by questions and demands that he speak up. Before he could say anything, however, Fred and George came bursting into the common room, their arms laden with food from the kitchens and their faces shining with a thin sheen of perspiration. They looked as excited, if not more so, than Dean, Neville, and Seamus had looked. "You'll never guess what we just heard- " said George before anyone could ask what was the matter.

"The whole school is talking about it!" Fred exclaimed as he deposited his burden on a table that Lee had summoned.

"About what?" asked Angelina excitedly.

"_Flint_. He's in the hospital wing! Him and some other Slytherins!" George said jovially, as if this were a cause for great celebration. Indeed, the rest of the Gryffindors apparently felt the same way, as a loud cheer went up, completely muffling Hermione's lone voice of concern. Ranma did not doubt that the news was received similarly in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff as well. Four months at Hogwarts had shown him that Slytherin house was not popular by any means.

"We overheard some Ravenclaws talking about it." added Fred animatedly. "Apparently those gits were found unconscious under the Ravenclaw side after the match!"

"It's true, we saw them carried in on stretchers." Though Dean had finally caught his breath, it hardly did him any the good. He seemed to be barely holding back laughter. "Me and Seamus and Neville were up there when they brought them up. Someone did a real number on them!"

"Yeah, never seen someone covered in feathers like that." Seamus chortled. "Whoever did it was bloody brilliant! Turning them into _chickens_."

The Gryffindors all burst out laughing. "Yellow-bellied chickens." Neville corrected with distinct satisfaction. The laughter, which had been dying down, roared to life again.

"It couldn't have happened to nicer people." a seventh year girl remarked, to which many people agreed loudly.

"I just wish I knew who did it," said Lee as he wiped tears from his eye, "so I can thank them personally."

Ranma smiled wryly at Lee and said, "You're quite welcome, Lee."

Only a the people nearby seemed to hear him, including Fred and George, who looked at him before turning to each other with wide eyed astonishment. "No way-" said Fred.

"You didn't-" said George.

"Yes he did!" Ron exclaimed. He had been barely containing himself the entire time. "I saw the whole thing and even I hardly believe it. It was _unreal_!"

"Come off it," Harry said with a half grin. "We don't know how to transfigure people-"

"I didn't transfigure anyone. I didn't have to, thanks to Fred and George." Ranma replied. He was really enjoying drawing things out, especially now that the word was spreading in the common room. The twins looked puzzled a moment before what Ranma meant dawned on them.

"Bird Droppings!" they yelled excitedly, eliciting puzzled looks from everyone but Ranma, who nodded.

"But yellow-bellied chickens? That doesn't sound right." said George.

"Yeah, we always turned into rainbow colored budgies..."

"And you must've given them too much if they were knocked out."

Lee gave an impatient cough. "Would you prats stop talking to yourselves and tell us what you're on about?" he demanded. "What are these bird droppings?"

"It's a potion we made for a practical joke." explained Fred

"Three drops were supposed to turn you into a budgerigar." added George. "We gave a bottle of it to Ranma last month for his birthday."

"Can't imagine why it suddenly turned Flint into a chicken though." said Fred thoughtfully.

"If it makes you two as budgies and the Slytherins as chickens, it must turn people into their 'inner bird'." Lee joked, inciting a further round of laughter.

"I'm just curious how you tricked them into taking it." Fred wondered aloud for everyone in the room. Everyone looked to Ranma, who was grinning in a very self-satisfied way.

"I didn't trick them, I forced them." he replied simply.

"Ranma!" gasped Hermione, casting a wide eyed stare at him. She had been looking noticeably disapproving since Ranma had spoken up. "You can't just force people to take dangerous potions!"

"Give him a break, Hermione." Ron protested. "He wouldn't have done that if Flint and his mates hadn't tried to gang up on him."

The common room, which had been restless with Gryffindors speculating on the truth of these revelations, suddenly went very quiet. Most of them looked outraged that the Slytherins would stoop so low, but Ranma doubted they were very surprised by the dirty tactic. Ranma knew they were waiting for his confirmation.

"Ranma...they didn't-" Hermione stammered, looking aghast.

"No, it's true." Ranma replied, giving her a reassuring smile. "Flint and his little friends-"

"Little?" Ron interrupted incredulously. "They were all at least fifth years!"

The twittering in the common room became more agitated. Ranma forced himself to not roll his eyes at Ron's interruption. "Thanks, Ron. Like I was saying, they said they wanted to teach me a lesson. Only, problem is, I decided to teach them one too." Ranma looked around with a self-satisfied grin on his face. He sat silently for a few moments before the inevitable question was asked.

"So what did you do?"

Ranma raised his eyebrow at the question and gave Ron a knowing look. "I think Ron can answer that." he said with a nod.

Ron hardly needed the encouragement, as he had been clearly chomping at the bit since the conversation had started. True to form, he launched into a very colorful and generally accurate account of Ranma's fight. Given his penchant for exaggeration, it was not surprising that, in the story, Ron had somehow used his manly charm to gain the undying love and devotion of his female captor before charging into the thick of the fight with his wand blazing. Ranma chose not to interrupt; he was, after all, a very good storyteller.

"Oh, come on, Ron, you expect us to believe that?" Hermione said disbelievingly. "You 'charmed the poor, misguided girl' and 'let your wand do the talking'?

"That _is_ an odd way to say you hid behind a post." Fred agreed.

Ron's face turned scarlet and he seemed ready to retort, but Ranma stepped in. "Ron may have exaggerated a bit-" Fred and George both snorted simultaneously, "but the rest is true."

No one, except for Ranma's friends, all five of whom had seen Ranma in action before, looked particularly convinced, but he figured that, at the least, there was an alternative to the other rumors that were bound to pop up the next day.. "Oh no, Ranma." Hermione said suddenly, looking very worried. "You're not supposed to fight! You'll be expelled for sure!'

"No way, Hermione." Ron said confidently. "Ranma never put a hand on them."

"Anyway, he was defending himself, right?" said Harry encouragingly. "There's no way they can say he started it."

"Of course they'll say he started it!" Hermione said exasperatedly. "They were counting on you to either not fight back and get hurt or fight back and get expelled!"

"You worry to much, Hermione." said George, throwing himself down on an armchair, careful not to upset the heaping plate of food in his hands.

"Yeah, you won't be expelled." Lee agreed. "But I bet McGonagall gives you some punishment. She wouldn't be McGonagall if she didn't."

Everyone agreed with this wholeheartedly. Their curiosity sated, the other Gryffindors drifted off to discuss what they had heard and, of course, the outcome of the Quidditch match. "Brilliant mate." George said appreciatively. "By tomorrow, I don't think anyone's going to doubt the rumor about the troll anymore."

"And very impressive, thinking to humiliate them with the bird droppings." Fred remarked as he took a seat in a nearby chair. "You're starting to think like a Marauder."

"Yeah, you sure know how to make a statement." added Lee before popping a crisp into his mouth. "I'm pretty sure the pool is off now that you've cleared out those idiots."

"That's good." Ranma said with a chuckle. "I might go collect tomorrow. I'm sure Draco Malfoy will be happy to see me."

"Wait a minute," Harry said, looking very put out. "You're saying no one believes us about the troll?"

"And what's this about a pool and Malfoy?" asked Ron. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Ranma proceeded to fill Harry, Ron, and Hermione in as his fellow Marauders-in-training listened on.

He hardly had a thing to grin about the next day, however. As expected, the rumors about what had happened to Flint and his gang were flying around the castle at a furious pace and, gradually, Ranma's involvement began to come to the surface. Ranma was, therefore, not entirely surprised when Professor McGonagall approached him at dinner that evening. Fred and Harry's jaws dropped as she stopped right behind him, and, from the looks on their faces, Ranma knew he did not want to turn around.

"Mr. Saotome." she said curtly. Ranma turned to face McGonagall and saw why Harry and Ranma looked so stricken. She wore the sternest look he had ever seen and, considering it was McGonagall, that was saying something. Ranma had the distinct impression that she was on the verge of telling him off. For the briefest of moments, he thought he might have seen a look of discomfort pass over her face, but it was gone so quickly that he might have imagined it.

"Er, yes, professor?" Ranma said rather weaker than he had intended.

"I'd like a word." she said, though it was obviously not a request.

"Right now?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, Soatome, now!" McGonagall snapped. "Follow me."

Ranma gave a resigned sigh and stood, receiving sympathetic looks from the twins and Lee who, no doubt, were accustomed to being told off by McGonagall. He followed after her, trying to look confident and ignore the worried expressions on Harry, Ron, and Hermione's faces. As he followed McGonagall out the Great Hall, he could distinctly hear snickering and derisive comments from the Slytherins, but a hard glare in their direction quickly shut them all up.

McGonagall strode across the Entrance Hall, but instead of heading up the marble staircase, she turned left and led him to an antechamber. "Inside, Saotome, and have a seat while I go find the Headmaster." she said, gesturing into the room. Ranma felt his stomach tighten at the mention of Dumbledore. Until then, he hadn't thought that he would be in any serious trouble. This revelation was very disconcerting.

Stepping inside, Ranma realized that this was the same room that he had stood in last September, just before being sorted into Gryffindor. Now, however, it was no longer empty. In the middle of the room were three chairs and a desk that looked as if they had been moved from out of McGonagall's office. Candles lit the room, but very dimly so, such that the edges of the room were shrouded in shadow. Ranma settled in a seat in front of the desk, working through what he was going to say when Dumbledore arrived.

"Well well, here he is, the man of the hour," a familiar voice sneered from out of the shadows. Ranma started despite himself and, in a flash, he was on his feet and facing Snape, his body sunk into a wary stance. The man emerged from the shadows, wearing the most uncharacteristically cheerful leer on his sallow face. "I believe Professor McGonagall instructed you to sit, so that will be five points. Now sit _down_."

Ranma hardly blinked as he stepped back and sat in his chair, never taking his eyes off the potions master. He was not so concerned about the points as he was that, until Snape had spoken, Ranma had not even known that he was not alone. Like Dumbledore and McGonagall, Snape could apparently suppress his magical energy so far that his aura could blend in with the magic of the surrounding walls. Ranma was no expert on it, but given the difficulty he was having just learning to gather his magical energy (much less manipulate it meaningfully), he was fairly sure that suppressing one's energy so thoroughly was the mark of a powerful witch or wizard. This was not a pleasant thought; Snape was, after all, trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone.

The two eyed each other warily for several moments. Snape seemed to be waiting for a reaction, but Ranma refused to give him the satisfaction; he knew that being alone with no witnesses was very dangerous ground. The man's eyes glittered maliciously. "So, Saotome" he said silkily, "you enjoy bullying others, do you? Humiliating them to make yourself look better. And you thought you'd get away with it, didn't you?"

Ranma stared into the man's eyes, refusing to back down. He thought it was pretty rich that Snape, of all people, had the nerve to lecture him about bullying, and he did not bother covering up a derisive snort. "You think this is funny, do you?" Snape snapped dangerously. "How very much like your mother you are, just an oversized muscle with a wand."

Ranma furrowed his brow and his eyes narrowed. He leaned forward slightly, as if waiting to pounce on Snape. "What did you say?" he hissed, though his tone clearly warned that he had no interest in hearing Snape repeat himself. Snape's lips curled as he stared haughtily down at Ranma.

"Obviously your dear motherdidn't bother telling you about all the bullying she did. But, like mother, like son, I'm sure." Before any rational thought could stop him, Ranma pushed himself out of his seat, intent on shutting Snape's mouth.

"I told you to **_sit_**!" Snape whipped his wand at Ranma surprisingly quickly. Ranma contorted his body, letting the magic pass him and hit the chair instead. He had been itching to have a go at the man for some time and Snape's attack was all the encouragement he needed. Before he could take a proper step, however, invisible ropes seemed to have wound around him and were pulling him down until he was seated again. Snape smirked victoriously. "Now then, I will only ask this once. Tell only the truth, and you may even get to keep your wand."

Ranma struggled against his invisible bonds as he glared murderously at Snape. "Why did you attack my students?" Snape demanded.

"I didn't attack your students." he spat. As he spoke, Ranma probed the invisible ropes with his ki, looking for a way to interrupt the magic.

"I thought I said no lies, Saotome." Snape said coldly, towering over him menacingly. "You will tell me what you did to them, or so help me-"

The door to the room burst open, interrupting Snape's threat. Professor McGonagall strode into the room, followed by Dumbledore. "Good evening Severus, Mr. Saotome." Dumbledore said pleasantly, his eyes twinkling. Looking over the rim of his half-moon glasses, he eyed the scene with a raised eyebrow. "Please allow me, Mr. Saotome."

As Dumbledore raised his wand, Ranma realized he was referring to the invisible ropes that bound him to the chair. "That's okay, professor, I think I can manage." he replied, flexing his arms and flaring his ki for a second. With a small -pop-, the magical bindings snapped, and Ranma could feel the magic dissipate. Snape goggled at this and, even though they knew he could interrupt magic, Dumbledore and McGonagall seemed impressed.

"What _has_ been going on?" McGonagall demanded. With a wave of her wand, she increased the number of candles in the room. "Professor Snape, why was Saotome bound to that chair?"

Snape was only just recovering from his shock. "He-he refused to remain seated." he explained weakly, still looking incredulously at Ranma

"Because he had a go at my mum!" Ranma added hotly, jumping to his feet.

"I think we should all have a seat." suggested Dumbledore, though, by his tone, it was quite clearly a command. "And, Severus, please confine your disciplinary actions to non-magical methods in the future."

Snape gave a curt nod as he continued to gaze at Ranma with an unsettlingly penetrating stare. Turning from him, Ranma sat again in the chair in front of the desk, while McGonagall and Snape took the other two, sitting to the right and left of the desk, respectively. With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore conjured a familiar squashy armchair behind the desk, into which he sank comfortably. There was a moment of silence while Dumbledore seemed to gather his thoughts, steepling his hands before his face. When he spoke, his eyes twinkled considerably less and his voice sounded tired and slightly disappointed.

"I am sure you must be wondering why you were called here this evening, Mr. Saotome. As you may be aware, there was a most distressing incident yesterday during the Quidditch match involving eleven students of Professor Snape's house. They were discovered beneath the Ravenclaw stands, all unconscious from an apparent attack, and six were taken to the hospital wing, suffering from a rather bizarre affliction. I'm afraid Miss Kensington was rather allergic to the feathers." Dumbledore paused a moment, as if trying to guage Ranma's reaction to the news. Ranma, to his credit, managed to keep a neutral expression on his face, despite his desire to laugh. He did not, however, act as if this was news to him. "After they had all recovered, Professor Snape questioned them as to the circumstances that led up to their injury, and all stated that you were behind the attack and that you had done so without provocation."

Again, Ranma did not look surprised by this at all. Hermione had warned him that the Slytherins would take this tactic and, thinking she was probably right, he had already planned a defense. He calmly looked at the three teachers before speaking. "So I guess you want to know why I did it?" he asked.

"So, he admits it!" Snape said triumphantly, leaning forward in his seat.

"No, I don't." Ranma replied evenly. "Especially since most of what they told you is probably lies."

"Saotome, you dare-" fumed Snape, but Dumbledore cut him off.

"We want only to get to the bottom of this incident and bring it to a satisfactory close." Dumbledore assured. "I should like to hear your side of the story before any decisions are made."

"Oh, err, okay..." Ranma, who'd thought that his guilt was a foregone conclusion in their minds, was a bit taken aback. All of his planned arguments were pushed to the back of his mind as he began to recap the incident. "Well, I was heading from the changing rooms-"

"And why were you there instead of in the stands?" demanded Snape. "Only team members are allowed inside."

Ranma threw an annoyed glare at the man. "I'm a reserve player, _Professor_." he replied dismissively. "And I never said I was in there, only that I was heading away from them. I'd been over there to wish the team luck. Ask any of them, they'll tell you I was over there just as they were walking onto the pitch."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow at this while Dumbledore nodded. Snape did not seem to have a response, so he continued. "I was walking back to the Gryffindor side. When I got to the Ravenclaw stands-"

"Tell me, Saotome, why would you go that particular way?" asked McGonagall, a note of suspicion in her voice. "You could have reached the Gryffindor stands faster if you'd gone the opposite direction."

"I-I was going to meet Ron Weasley." Ranma said slowly. His mind was racing, trying to decide how much of the truth to tell them. "He was sitting over on the Ravenclaw side."

"And why was _he_ not on the Gryffindor side?"

Ranma sighed deeply, as if he were about to reveal a real secret. "We were worried about Harry." he admitted as he stared down at his hands. "We were worried that Sna- that _someone_ was going to try to hurt him, like at the last match. So we, me and Hermione and Ron, we sort of made a plan, just in case..."

"Quite understandable, your concern for your friend." Dumbledore said approvingly. McGonagall nodded in agreement, though Snape snorted derisively. "Please, do continue."

Ranma nodded, feeling slightly relieved that they were satisfied with his explanation. "Right. So I was walking under the Ravenclaw side. That's when Flint and his goo-, er, his _friends_ stopped me. When I tried to leave, they surrounded me and started trying to hex me."

The reactions to this statement were quite varied. McGonagall looked outraged, her eyebrows rising so high they almost touched her hairline. Dumbledore only nodded, as if receiving confirmation. Snape, though, could not hide his incredulity. "Rubbish! You have no proof." he sneered, a supercilious smile playing across his pale face.

"Yes, I do." Ranma said, returning the smile. "Ron saw the whole thing. You can ask him if you want."

"What, so he can tell us the same lies?" Snape snapped.

"That is quite enough, Severus." Dumbledore warned the potions master. He looked at Ranma again. "So, after they started trying to hex you, did you retaliate?"

"Well..." Ranma squirmed a bit. Dumbledore seemed to get right to the point he had been most keen to avoid. "I defended myself." he said lamely.

None of them seemed particularly surprised by this revelation. Snape was, unsurprisingly, almost beside himself with glee. McGonagall looked worriedly at him. "Mr. Saotome, I thought we discussed fighting last time." McGonagall said sternly. "This fight may be grounds for your expulsion."

"Expulsion? Eleven people attacked _me_, and _I'm_ in danger of expulsion, just for defending myself?" Ranma asked incredulously. "That's not fair!"

"I think we are getting ahead of ourselves." Dumbledore said calmly. "Mr. Saotome, while defending yourself, were you forced to strike anyone?"

"No sir." Ranma replied, feeling a knot loosen in his stomach. "I didn't have to. They hexed themselves trying to hit me."

"Ah, well that explains it. Madame Pomfrey did not treat any _physical_ injuries, despite Mr. Saotome's involvement." Dumbledore remarked with a slight smile. "There is, however, the question of those that were transfigured..."

The corners of Ranma's mouth twitched as he fought a grin. "I'll admit to that. I thought it would be funny."

"Oh really? You just thought you would humiliate a few Slytherins?" Snape said, sounding outraged.

"That was the idea, yeah." Ranma replied. "I used a joke product I'd gotten for my birthday. It was the least I could do, and I'm sure they'd rather I did that than hit them."

Dumbledore nodded, and Ranma was almost certain the man flashed a reassuring smile. "Well, if you have nothing further to add, I think that will do." he said.

"But-but, he attacked my students!" Snape spluttered.

"Really, Severus, what motive would he have to attack eleven students at the same time?" McGonagall asked.

"This boy has made no bones about his prejudice against Slytherins! He publicly announces his contempt for the very people he attacked." Snape said accusingly. McGonagall and Dumbledore looked questioningly at Ranma, who shrugged.

"I don't like or respect any of them and I've let people know that." he said unapologetically. "But I wouldn't waste my time trying to attack any of them, and I don't see how I did anything wrong unless it's against the rules to have an opinion about people."

"Fortunately, that is not the case, though I would advise more tact and restraint when expressing more inflammatory opinions." Dumbledore remarked sagely.

Snape did not seem to like the way things were proceeding. "Headmaster, do you mean to take his statement over those of eleven other students?" Snape demanded.

"Not over, but equally." Dumbledore replied rather coolly. "I have no doubt that Mr. Weasley will vouch for the truth of his statement, and, as yet, neither of he nor Mr. Saotome have shown themselves untrustworthy. The word of Mr. Flint and quite a few of the others, however, is not so highly regarded."

"Yes, but-"

"But, as there is no reliable, _neutral_ witness, we shall assume that this was a simple fight. So, punishments." said Dumbledore, and Ranma could tell by the man's tone that discussion was over. He stroked his long, silver beard thoughtfully for a moment. "Let us say one week of detention and ten points from their respective house for each person involved."

McGonagall gave a curt nod of assent and Snape, rather grudgingly, did so as well. "Excellent. How very reassuring that consensus can be reached so amicably." said Dumbledore with a genial smile. "Now, as the hour grows late, I bid a good evening to you all."

As he tramped back up to the common room, Ranma could not help but breath a sigh of relief. His original dismay at losing ten points and getting a week of detention had been pushed aside when he realized that the Gryffindor lead over Slytherin was now quite substantial, thanks to the one hundred and ten points that were taken. When the stories started circulating the next morning and everyone saw the change in house points, Ranma imagined his house mates would be beside themselves with glee. The only thing tempering this victory, though, was Snape. As they had left the antechamber, the man had shot him a nasty look that told Ranma that things were not over between them, not by a long shot.

With all of the positive benefits of the fight, though, Ranma hardly worried about Snape. From that day forward, no one tried to hex him in the corridors. After having to endure at least one attempt a period for nearly five months, this was quite a relief. With the fight and the subsequent deduction of house points from Slytherin, Ranma now found that, like Harry, Lee, and the Weasley twins, he enjoyed a good deal of popularity in Gryffindor.

Malfoy, meanwhile, was in an especially surly mood. Ranma imagined that it was quite a shock to the boy that money could not buy him something he really wanted, namely Ranma's humiliation. Ranma gladly lost five points one Friday before potions when he remarked to Malfoy that having a go at him was and would always be free of charge, and that he could save his money by doing it himself instead of putting others up to the task.

One thing this fight had demonstrated was the importance of physical conditioning and defense, even in the wizarding world. From what he'd seen, wizards did not set much store by exercising anything but their magic. Ranma thought this was a rather short-sighted view of things and had constantly reminded everyone that spells were useless if they could not hit their target. He had proved that very convincingly with the Slytherins. It was still rather surprising, though, when Neville approached him one evening at dinner and asked him for help.

"Do you think you can teach me some moves?" he asked timidly.

Ranma raised an eyebrow at him. "What kind of moves are you talking about?"

"You know, that 'crotty'. I heard Justin Finch-Fletchley talk about it last week..."

"It's 'karate', not 'crotty'." Ranma said with a laugh. "And why do you want to learn that anyway? I didn't think anyone wanted to know about fighting unless it was with a wand."

"I dunno, if I'd known some of what you do, I wouldn't've been in the hospital wing after the match." Neville replied sheepishly. "And you were able to fight ten people without a wand and win, so..."

"Sure Neville, I'll show you some moves." Ranma said. "I'm not saying you'll be able to do the things I can, that takes a _lot_ of practice, but i can show you some things that'll help. Come talk to me in the common room after dinner."

"All right, Ranma. Thanks" Neville said gratefully before shuffling off to his spot at the end of table.

Turning back to his meal, Ranma saw his six friends giving him incredulous looks. "What?"

"Why give him false hope?" asked Harry.

"I'm not giving him false hope. I'm just going to teach him some useful moves."

"Come off it, Ranma." said Fred. "I mean, yeah, you can do some amazing things, but that's _Neville_."

"Yeah, so what about it?" Ranma asked, his voice distinctly cool.

"Come on, are you serious?" Ron said exasperatedly. He lowered his voice before continuing. "He's almost hopeless with a wand. What good will teaching him a few tricks do, especially if he's not as strong or fast as you?"

"Those 'tricks' would be enough to beat you, even with your wand." Ranma replied without hesitation.

"Oh ho ho, sounds like a challenge." George said, grinning. "What say you, little bro'"?

"There's no way Neville can beat me in a duel." Ron replied confidently.

"Give me three weeks, and a galleon says he can." Ranma replied just as confidently.

"I dunno..." Ron said pensively.

"Don't worry, little bro', I'll cover you." said Fred, giving Ron a reassuring slap on the shoulder.

"I'll take that flutter as well." Lee added with a grin.

"I'm in, on Ranma's side though." said George. "Harry, Hermione?"

These two, wisely, chose to stay out of the betting. "All right then, in three weeks, we'll see."

Even before taking the bet, Ranma had known he would have his work cut out for him. A challenge was a challenge, though, and backing down was certainly not an option. After his first training session with Neville, however, the thought crossed his mind several times. Quite frankly, the boy was out of shape, and the first priority was fixing that problem. The first thing he did was institute an ambitious exercise regimen for Neville which coincided with his own training schedule. At the same time, Ranma demonstrated and drilled Neville on ten simple throws and restraining moves that he knew would be optimal against a wand-wielding opponent. Finally, during the third week, he relentlessly coached Neville on strategies for quickly neutralizing opponents in a dueling situation. When the three weeks were up, he felt more than confident that Neville would beat Ron, assuming that he maintained his cool and his confidence.

"Remember, focus on what he's saying, watch his wand, and be ready to move." he said, massaging Neville's shoulders. They were in the common room, where a space had been cleared for the duel. More than a few people had gathered to watch and this seemed to make Neville even more nervous. "Come on, relax, Neville. You're going to win, trust me."

"But-but everyone's watching..." Neville replied in a small voice.

"Well, you're not dueling them, are you?" Ranma said with a grin. "Just ignore everyone else and focus on Ron. Remember what we practiced and you'll be fine."

"Oy, Ranma!" Fred called from over his shoulder. "Are we ready to start? I'm ready to collect my galleon."

"Just have mine ready for when you lose!" Ranma called back. "This is it. Ready, Nev?"

Neville nodded, a determined expression on his face. "We're ready." said Ranma. He gave Neville's shoulder one last encouraging squeeze before backing away to join Harry, Hermione, and Lee. Fred was giving Ron last minute advice while George, who was the official referee, waited in between the two opponents. Finally, Fred backed away and nodded at his brother, who cleared his voice to speak.

"Witches and wizards, we are pleased to present-" he began, sounding very much like a circus ringmaster.

"Oh, will you just get on with it!" someone yelled, prompting laughter throughout the common room.

"All right, all right, no need to get tetchy." George said. "Right, so the rules are simple. No wand for Neville. No one moves before the handkerchief hits the floor. The duel is over when someone gives up or Ron loses his wand. Got it?"

Neville and Ron nodded. Ranma was pleased to see that, while Neville still maintained a determined expression, Ron was grinning. It would be even easier for Neville if his opponent did not take him seriously. "All right, bow to your opponent." instructed George. After they had done so, he tossed a garish, rainbow colored handkerchief high in the air, then backed out of the way.

As soon as it hit the ground, Ron raised his wand and cried "_Locomotor Mortis!_". Unfortunately for him, Neville was no longer where he had aimed and the spell sailed harmlessly out of the circle. In short order, Neville had rolled forward, sprung to his feet, grabbed Ron's outstretched wand arm, and stepped around to twist the arm behind his back. Looking almost as surprised as anyone else, Neville held up Ron's wand. "I did it!" he said almost breathlessly.

There was a long, deafening silence, punctuated only by Ranma's clapping. "Excellent, Neville, just like we practiced." he said cheerfully to the still stunned Neville. "I told you he'd try that."

The rest of the onlookers finally seemed to find their voices, and they were all shocked and dismayed. Apparently most people had bet against Neville. Ron and Fred seemed absolutely flabbergasted. "Hold on, I want another go!" Ron protested, rubbing his shoulder.

"Yeah, best two out of three!" Fred demanded. Ranma gave him a withering glare. "Er, please?"

Ranma smirked at them before turning back to his protege. "What do you say, Neville, you up for another go?"

"Sure, why not?" Neville replied, his voice brimming with confidence.

The second duel went more or less as the first. This time, Ron opted for a spell with a shorter incantation but, again, Ranma had anticipated this move. Neville merely sidestepped the spell and, halfway through Ron's second cast, had moved in close. In a quick move, he grabbed Ron's wand arm with his left hand, stuck his right foot behind Ron's, and pushed hard on Ron's chest. Ron fell backwards onto the ground with a loud thud. A little pressure applied to the wrist, and Neville, again, possessed Ron's wand.

"Er, best three out of five?" asked Fred hopefully.

Five duels later, Ron finally managed to hit Neville with the Jelly-legs curse, but, at that point, Neville was so tired that it was not exactly a surprise. As far as Ranma was concerned, his point had been made. No one could argue that muggle martial arts were rubbish after Neville, of all people, had so convincingly acquitted himself.

"Ready to pay up? I think that will be six galleons each." Ranma said cheerfully, his hand extended. Lee and Fred nearly choked.

"It was only _one_ galleon!" Lee protested.

"Yeah, and it was supposed to be only _one_ duel." Ranma said with a smile. "So that'll be one for each win."

"Wha-, I don't have that much money!" Fred moaned.

Ranma laughed at him. "Just kidding, mate. Just give my galleons to Neville, he deserves them." he said genially. Across the common room, Neville was being congratulated by a crowd of people who were, no doubt, asking him how he'd done it all.

"That was nice of you." Hermione said, squeezing Ranma's arm. "I'll admit, I didn't think you could do it."

"Yeah, no kidding." Harry agreed. "I mean, we've gotten used to seeing you doing impossible things, but I always just thought you were using some kind of magic."

Ranma shrugged. "Who says it isn't? The stuff I can do is really advanced martial arts. Dumbledore told me wizards call it 'muggle magic', and I guess it almost is. Regular people can't do what I can do." he explained before throwing himself into an armchair. "But, the things Neville did, anyone can do that, if they're willing to learn and get themselves in shape. That could just as easily have been you or Hermione."

At that moment, Ron joined them, throwing himself into an armchair. He looked very sour indeed. "This is bloody embarrassing." he said crossly. "All right, spill it, Ranma. You enchanted his trainers, right?"

"Nope." Ranma said with a laugh. " I don't even know how to do that and, even if I did, you know how I am with spell-casting. There was no magic involved, just training and strategy."

"Bollocks, there's no way Neville's that fast." Ron insisted crossly.

Ranma smiled slyly. "Yes, and no. Three weeks of training won't make you that much faster, but paying attention can make it seem that way."

"What does that mean?" Hermione asked curiously. "And how did you know what Ron was going to do?"

"Yeah, we'd like to know that too." Fred chimed in. He, George, and Lee joined the group. "At least tell me how I lost two galleons on what should've been sure money."

Ranma grinned before beginning his explanation. "Well, it's really pretty simple to dodge a spell if you focus and pay attention. In the time it takes your opponent to raise his wand and say the incantation, you can move against them. If you're in decent shape and can recognize their move fast enough, you can be within their guard before they have a real chance to hurt you.

"As for how I knew what Ron would do, that was simple. Since he's not experienced with dueling, I figured he'd just try throwing spells out without a real plan. He wasn't taking Neville seriously, so he would probably use a spell with a long incantation for his first shot. And Ron, no offense but your wand work has a lot of unnecessary waving. I figured this would give Neville even more time to get in and disarm you. I anticipated how you would approach each duel after that based on how Neville disarmed you in the previous duels."

"But-but that's cheating!" Ron said indignantly.

"No it's not, Ron, it's being smart." Hermione countered. "'Know your enemy'."

"Exactly. Don't be too hard on yourself, though. Most of what I showed Neville was very generalized, and I made him practice as if he were going against a much faster opponent." Ranma said.

This did not seem to make Ron feel any better. "I don't think I'll ever live this one down." he said glumly.

"Oh, don't worry, _Ronniekins_." said George placatingly. "You handle being a complete prat all right, _this_ should be a piece of cake."

Ron threw a book at his brother as they all guffawed. "Shove off." he snapped.

"Don't worry, Ron, people will forget all about you whenever someone tries to hex Neville in the corridors. I'd hate to be that person." Ranma assured him. "Neville didn't do half the things I showed him, and with all the confidence he has now, I bet he's itching to try that stuff out."

Despite Neville's good showing, it was somewhat disappointing that only a few of his house mates showed any interest in what Ranma had to teach. After learning that they'd have to also follow the same rigorous strengthening regimen as Neville, even Harry, Hermione, and Ron, who had joined in to humor Ranma, had dropped out. Though he had been disappointed and a bit miffed, in the end he was glad that only Neville wanted to stick with it. Otherwise, he might have gone spare with everything else he had on his plate.

Ranma had correctly assumed that Snape was not going to let things stand between them. He may have escaped expulsion, but Snape seemed intent on making him wish that he had been expelled. Ranma could not get through one potions class without getting at least two days' detention; it seemed that his very presence merited at least one detention. It was not the first time, but Ranma found himself bitterly hating his "talk first, think later" habit (courtesy of one Genma Saotome) that earned him night after night of scouring cauldrons, decapitating small creatures, and scrubbing lavatories. Though he knew that they were baiting him and that Snape had probably put them up to it, his pride wouldn't let snide comments from Draco and his cronies pass without retort. To make matters worse, more often than not, McGonagall would not countermand Snape. Indeed, keeping her promise from the previous September, she assigned a detention for every one that he received. After that, Ranma was, understandably, reluctant to visit her to protest.

All of the detentions did have an upside, albeit a small one. On the advice of Harry and Hermione, he used that time to observe and eavesdrop on Snape. Not that he learned much, since Snape seemed to have nothing better to do than harass and bait him. If the man was putting the final touches on a brilliant plot to steal the Philosopher's Stone, he was keeping it to himself. At the least, they knew he was in the dungeons in the evening and not out pressuring Quirrell into helping him.

With Snape keeping him as late as possible, Ranma was forced to choose between sleeping and doing homework. His studies might well have been in dire straits, if not for the help of the twins and Lee. His fellow Marauders were actually very good students, despite all appearances. As a condition of their aid, though, Ranma promised to swallow his pride and do nothing at all to provoke Snape or challenge the Slytherins. In addition, he also promised to start making up his "deficit", or the number of points he had lost for Gryffindor so far that year. Unsurprisingly, his three friends knew exactly how many he'd lost, as they'd developed a charm that kept count of points won and lost. They applied it to a bit of parchment, which was constantly updated, and gave it to him. Ranma was dismayed to learn that he was down nearly one hundred points, despite the points he occasionally earned in classes. Deciding that his friends were right, Ranma reigned in his attitude and tried harder in class so that, by March, he had cut the deficit in half and was, once again, serving no more than one detention a week.

This was, of course, the real goal of his friends. They were keen on getting him free during the evenings so that they could sneak out and do the things that Marauders were expected to do, namely making mischief about the castle, and that just was not possible when one member was in detention every night. When Ranma's discipline problems were finally sorted out, they would help him breeze through his homework before they would all sneak off to the dueling classroom. Ranma had shown them the room soon after they'd become friends and, because it was out of the way and rarely visited by anyone, it became their unofficial headquarters. Thankfully, Freya was quite keen on having them around (Ranma personally thought it was because she wanted to show off, but he wisely kept this to himself).

As the weather was still rather inhospitable, the new Marauders spent their free time leading into March preparing themselves for a busy summer term. They discussed the challenges and their possible solutions or planning their excursions into the Forbidden Forest after the spring thaw began. When these things bored them, they entertained themselves by sneaking around Hogwarts, aimlessly searching for the hidden room, or setting up pranks for the various people that they felt deserved it (which, it turned out, was almost anyone). Ranma even convinced (or, more aptly, coerced) his three comrades to also take up the strengthening and training regimen that Neville was doing. They reluctantly agreed, mostly because Ranma threatened to leave them on their own if they ever encountered acromatula again.

When it seemed that Ranma had finally gotten a hold of his rather packed schedule, more seemed to drop into his lap. One afternoon in late March, Ranma was studying in the library with Ron, Hermione, and Harry for the first time in quite a while. Fred, George, and Lee had been caught earlier that day by Filch while trying to feed her some questionable tidbits and were serving detention. He happened to look up from a Herbology essay when he noticed something he'd never seen before; Hermione not studying. She was, in fact, drawing a seven by seven grid, onto which she began writing the days of the week and then the names of all their classes. Ranma watched with curious amusement as she started filling each grid with a different color.

"Err, Hermione, what're you doing?" he inquired quietly.

"Oh, nothing," she replied casually as she reached into her bag and pulled out a voluminous stack of parchment. "I'm drawing up revision time tables and color-coding my notes."

"What for?" Ron said incredulously. "Hermione, the exams are ages away! "

"They're are ten weeks away! That's practically a second to Nicolas Flamel." she snapped brusquely. Ranma kicked Ron under the table before he could retort. Hermione could be very touchy, especially when it came to studying.

Unfortunately, she and the teachers seemed to be of like mind. They were assigning an ever mounting load of homework that was threatening to deprive him sleep every night. Between Hermione, who had started hectoring them about revising with her, and the teachers, who seemed intent on drowning them all in homework, Ranma thought he'd spend the entire term with his nose in a book.

And if that was not enough, Hagrid gave them even more to worry about, and it was far more serious than revising. A week after Hermione had begun her revision schedule, Ranma followed the twins and Lee into the common room after dinner. Spotting Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a quiet discussion in a corner of the common room, he waved his fellow Marauders off and made a bee-line for his other friends. "What's up?" he asked as he dropped into a chair. The three immediately stopped talking and gave him a guarded look that aroused his suspicions. "You're hiding something. And it must be bad, the only time Hermione looks that worried is right before we get our marks back from an exam."

Hermione looked away guiltily. "Well, go on with it already. Maybe I can help?"

"Come on, he'll find out eventually anyway. And we _will_ need his help, if Hagrid's serious." Harry said.

"Hagrid?" Ranma perked up. He hadn't seen the gamekeeper in a while, being too occupied with the Marauders to go visit him. "What's he up to?"

"Something dodgy." Ron said. Ranma would have laughed ,but there was no humor in Ron's voice.

"We were in the library this afternoon, and Hagrid was in there." Harry explained. "He was poking around in a section that had lots of books on dragons."

"Okay..." Ranma said, trying to gather what they were getting at.

"Well, he once told me he'd always wanted to own a dragon." Harry continued. "So we got suspicious and went down to his hut, to find out why he was in the library."

"And?"

"And we found out he's got an egg." Hermione said pensively. "A _dragon_ egg."

Ranma sat dumbfounded for a minute. "Well, that's brilliant!" he exclaimed. "I've never seen a live one before."

"No, it is _not_ brilliant!" Hermione retorted. "They're very dangerous creatures!"

"And very illegal." added Ron. "But Hagrid's talking about 'em like they're fluffy little bunnies!"

"Oh." Ranma's face fell a bit. "Well...well, we don't have to do anything, right?"

"Yes, we do. Dragons are huge. You can't bloody well hide one, and if anyone finds out, Hagrid's toast." Ron said. "We've got to convince him to get rid of that egg before it hatches, or he'll have us at his hut trying to feed the blighter."

They all hated to admit it, but Ron predicted the situation with amazing accuracy. They pleaded with Hagrid to get rid of the black egg that was roasting in the flames of his great fireplace, but the gamekeeper would hear nothing of it. The dragon was worth more to him than even a stint in jail, it seemed. Several weeks on, the dragon finally did hatch. Ranma did not see it himself, being otherwise occupied in detention, but what he'd heard was not good. Not ten minutes after the black little reptile had emerged from its shell, Hagrid had conscripted them all into coming down to help feed it in the evenings.

Even worse, prying eyes had witnessed the hatching, and they belonged to the last person any of them wanted to know about the dragon: Malfoy. The boy was strutting about the castle, making pointed comments about laws on dragon keeping and Hagrid that would have sounded absurd if they didn't know about Norbert (which Hagrid had named the dragon). Ranma would have liked nothing better than to give Malfoy a good poke in the nose but, aside from getting him expelled, it would probably convince the boy to stop lording his knowledge over them and turn them in to a teacher.

The Wednesday following Norbert's birth, the four of them despondently slouched off towards the astronomy tower at ten minutes to midnight. It had not been a fun week, unless your definition of the word 'fun' covered the joy of imperiling a limb while trying to change a dragon hatchling's bedding. Ranma could appreciate why wizards had outlawed owning dragons because, even at less than a week old, Norbert was a right little monster. To hear Hagrid tell it, Norbert was as harmless as a fly, but Ranma had never seen a fly playfully break chairs in half with their tails. Even worse, he was growing, faster than they thought possible, and was now more than twice as large as when he'd hatched. The only actual good thing that had happened all week was that they had finally, after much pleading, convinced Hagrid to let Norbert go. Ron had already sent off a letter to his brother, Charlie, a dragon keeper in Romania, who would hopefully be able to take the dragon off their hands.

"Psst, Redtail!" a familiar voice hissed as they approached the stairwell leading to the top of the astronomy tower. Ranma recognized the voice immediately and turned to look at it's source.

"Silvertongue! What're you doing here?" he asked, taking a few steps toward a tall statue. As he approached he saw Lee as well as the twins, who were standing in the shadow of the statue, and they were all wearing mischievous grins.

"We thought we might find a better way to occupy a fine spring night than staring at ruddy stars." Fred said. Ranma perked up immediately but his face fell almost as quickly.

"I dunno, Cas, Sinistra's been piling on the work lately..."

"Ah, go on, skive off just this once." Lee said encouragingly. "We'll help you with any homework, no worries."

Ranma tried to look reluctant, but his friends knew as well as he did that he'd rather do almost anything than fight sleep in astronomy. He was just about to agree to go with them when Hermione's voice called out to him.

"Ranma, what _are_ you doing?" she said. Ranma groaned inwardly as he turned toward her. "You're going to be late- and what are you three doing up here? You don't have astronomy tonight."

"Hello to you too, Hermione." George said genially. "Shouldn't you nip off to class before Sinistra sees you're gone?"

"I will, I just came to see where Ranma had got to." she said. "Come on, Ranma, we've only a minute-"

Ranma looked pleadingly at his cohorts. Ever since their fight the first term, he'd been leery of arguing with Hermione, and he was certain that skiving off a class would provoke an argument with her. Fortunately, Fred stepped in to the rescue. "Oh, Ranma isn't feeling well, right?" Ranma nodded and feigned a stomach pain. "He's got a head,err, stomach ache."

"Err, right, a head and a stomach ache." Lee chimed in as convincingly as possible. "Doesn't he look a bit off-color? We should take him back to the dormitory..."

He trailed off as she leveled a withering glare at him. "You expect me to believe that? He was fine five minutes ago." she said scathingly. "Honestly, we're _this_ close to exams and you want to miss class."

"C'mon, Hermione, give me a break. It's just one class. It's not going to kill me." Ranma said, completely giving up his terrible acting job.

Hermione gave a short, derisive laugh, as if she thought it _would_ kill him. "Fine, do whatever you want, but I'm not letting you copy my notes or star chart." she said with a huff before turning on her heel and marching back up the stairs.

Ranma rolled his eyes as she left. "Honestly, she's like my mother sometimes. Maybe even _worse_." he said with a sigh. "So, where to?"

"We thought you'd never ask, Redtail." George said with a grin as he and his brother grabbed Ranma by the arms and dragged him into a nearby classroom. "We think it's time for another trip into the forest."

A grin spread across Ranma's face. "About bloody time, it's been two weeks already. So what's the occasion, Pol?"

"It's _Pollux_, if you please, sir." George replied in a mock dignified voice. "If we're going to use our Marauder names, we should at least say them fully."

"Oh, shut up, _Pol_. The rest of us don't mind if you call us Red, or Cas, or Sil instead of Redtail, Castor, and Silvertongue." Fred said. "And, besides, we're wasting time. We haven't exactly got all night."

"Well pardon me for trying to inject some class into our affairs." George said haughtily.

"That's rich. You've got less class than a squib at Hogwarts, Pol." Lee said with a snigger.

George glared at him before breaking into a grin. "Too true, Sil, too true. Well, to business, lads." He reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of thick, folded parchment and began spreading it out on a table as his brother lit his wand and held it up. Ranma recognized it as a map that they'd been working on since late March, when the weather had finally settled down enough for them to wander the grounds unimpeded. Fred and George had begun work on it in their first year but, until recently, it was barely more than a few vague sketches. Now, the map of the Forbidden Forest was beginning to take shape, albeit an incongruous and incomplete one. It did not move like the Marauders' Map but, at the very least, it was fairly accurate, as their jaunts into the forest over the previous six weeks had proved.

"Well, what is it tonight, business or pleasure?" Lee asked eagerly.

"Marauders business." answered Fred. "George had a brainwave today about a new place to look for one of the beacons. Only problem is, it's not on the map."

"Yeah, we haven't been that far in yet." George admitted.

"So how do you even know where this place is?" said Ranma.

"We, very fortunately, overheard Hagrid talking with a centaur at the edge of the forest." said Fred.

"There are centaurs in the Forbidden Forest?" Ranma said truthfully. "I didn't know that."

"Sure there are. I hear the forest's got the biggest herd of 'em in Britain." said Lee knowingly. "But what've they got to do with the beacon?"

"I'm getting to that." George answered. "We caught enough of the conversation to get a general idea of where their herd lives in the forest-"

"And we figure that's a good place to look." added Fred. Lee and Ranma looked skeptical. "Look at it this way: the centaurs are really protective and they generally don't like people. Their village is probably the best place to hide something you don't want other wizards finding."

"And I doubt the Marauders would just leave something that important lying around unprotected. If they could get it into the village and hide it, it'd be safe." George finished.

Admittedly, this did make a lot of sense. "I don't know, this could go bad." Lee said after a minute. "I mean, we don't really know where we're going, we'll be making a lot of noise that'll attract too much attention..."

"So pretty much a normal outing, right?" Ranma said with a grin. "Oh, come on, what's to worry about? You three handled yourselves well enough against those werewolf cubs."

"We barely escaped without being bitten!" Lee countered.

"But we _did_ escape, and that _was_ an excellent adventure." Fred said. "So are we on then?"

"Yeah, course we are." Lee said with an unconvincingly resigned sigh. "When are we ever not?"

A half hour later, they were creeping through the forest as silently as possible. The chilly night air made their skin prickle unpleasantly, as they'd chosen to go without robes, which would only get caught up on vegetation. They had been walking in the same general direction for ten minutes without finding a thing, though the twins had assured them that the village was probably far into the forest. Because he had the best senses, Ranma led the way along the dimly lit forest path. Unlike other paths they'd crossed in the forest, this one was wide and hard packed and smelled of earth and manure. There was no doubt that this was a path utilized by something horse-like.

Ranma's ears twitched suddenly; he'd heard something very faint but distinguishable above the ambient sounds of the forest. It sounded like a rock striking solid wood, and it followed a peculiar rhythm. Ranma threw his arm out and motioned for his friends to stop. "Off the trail, something's coming." he whispered as silently as possible. Carefully, the boys stepped off the trail, their prior experience in the forest helping them avoid giving away their position.

Ranma peeked out from behind the large oak that shielded him from view as a male centaur, whose hooves were making a "clip-clop" sound on the hard trail, passed by, holding a torch aloft as he scanned the trail. Admittedly, the centaur looked very impressive. His lower half was a horse's body, easily six feet long, with rippling forelegs and haunches that spoke of great strength. It's upper half was that of a brawny, middle aged man. He wore nothing but a quiver of arrows slung over his back and held a bow in his other hand. The Marauders sat very still, not daring to move a muscle until the centaur turned around and headed back from whence it came.

As the hoof falls faded in the distance, they finally returned to the path. "Must be getting close." Fred whispered nervously. "Err, maybe we've gone far enough tonight..."

"After all that walking? Are you mad?" Lee protested.

"Not getting scared, are you Cas?" Ranma said teaasingly?

"Me? Of course not, don't be ridiculous." Fred retorted. "I was just giving you lot a chance to back out."

"Sure, brother." George said with a chuckle. "Let's get a move on, it's already too late as it is."

They hurried on, thankful for the hard path that muffled their footsteps. Before long, they quite unexpectedly caught up to the centaur. Had it not been on the outskirts of the village, he might even have heard them as they hurriedly threw themselves into the bushes. Quite the opposite of what they'd expected, the centaur settlement was lively and bustling, as if it were midday and not a quarter to one in the morning. Centaurs of all colors and ages stamped about the center of the village. The village itself was mostly obscured by the dark, though, from the torch light, they could see circular wooden huts with thatched roofs. From their vantage point, they could see that most of the centaurs were doing nothing in particular besides looking straight up at the sky, which was visible in the village clearing. Of those who were not gazing at the stars, many more were huddled around small fires, into which they threw what looked like bunches of twigs.

"Well, what now?" whispered Lee.

"Err, you know, that is a good question." said Fred thoughtfully. "I don't think we ever got that far with this plan."

Ranma and Lee groaned almost too loudly. "You're lucky we're hiding or I'd poke both of you in the nose." Ranma growled. "Do you even have an idea what it looks like?"

A small, shuffling sound was all the response he got. "Oh, that's just great." Lee groused. "Do you two know _anything_ useful?"

"Of course we do!" George hissed indignantly.

"About the beacon, you prat."

"Oh right." George said, sounding deflated. "I dunno, it should be powerfully magical, to work with the map."

Ranma breathed in sharply as the significance of George's statement sunk in. "I think I know how to find it. Just give me a few minutes." He sat cross-legged and went silent.

"Err, Red, what're you doing?" asked George.

"Quiet, I'm trying to concentrate." Ranma hissed back. He could almost see the tendrils of his magic spreading away in front of him. They probed the air, drifting towards the magical energy of the centaurs. He was mildly surprised that, while they did indeed possess magical energy, it was no more than a quarter of what he'd expected. There were other magical objects in the village, but they were not nearly powerful enough. Just as his magical energy seemed stretched to the limits, he felt something, almost like a a wave of energy licking at the edges of his own.

"I think...I think it might be on the other side of the village." Ranma said at last. He felt slightly drained but, fortunately, his ki was already beginning to make him feel better. "Over this way."

Ranma led the way as they crept around the clearing, making sure to stay just out of the light, in case a centaur decided to take a look in their direction. Ranma periodically extended his energy again, and this time he could feel magic more strongly. They were getting closer, but to what? The further they went, the less Ranma had to try to feel the magic, and before long, he did not have to try at all.

"There's something here." Lee remarked. "I can feel it."

"Yeah, same here." Fred agreed. They were at a corner of the village where, oddly enough, a tree was standing, alone and well away from the forest. It was very tall, thick, and knobby, its branches thick with leaves. The ground around it was grassless; it obviously saw a lot of hoof traffic. "This must be it then, the tree."

"It is." Ranma responded certainly. His probing had confirmed that much; if he could actually see the magic, the tree would have been shining like the midday sun. Almost on a whim, Ranma "stroked" the trunk of the tree with his energy, wondering what the tree was, and what they were supposed to do. He nearly jumped and yelled when a slow, deep voice answered.

"** I ,"** it said, **" am an oak. And I believe you must come and lay your hand upon my trunk. "**

Ranma's heart was beating a cadence in his chest while he tried to recover from the start. Had the tree really just spoken to him? No, not spoken, that was not quite what had happened, and it was not quite telepathy either. It felt more like his energy and the tree's energy had communicated and, somehow, he could understand. "Follow me. We've got to touch the tree." he whispered hoarsely.

"Are you mad? There's a village of centaurs between us and Hogwarts!" Fred protested. Ranma waved him off impatiently.

"We've got to, it's what the tree said to do." Ranma insisted. "And never mind how I know, I'll tell you later. Let's just do it before we get spotted."

The other three followed him reluctantly into the clearing, their eyes alert for any movement and ears wary of the slightest sound. Ranma, however, was focused on the tree before them. **" So, we just touch you? "** he 'asked'.

"** Yes. "**

As he reached out with his right hand, Ranma could feel the tree's powerful energy swirling about it, gently pulling it to the trunk. "Go on." he whispered encouragingly. Fred, George, and Lee all followed suit.

They all gasped quietly as they felt a sharp prick on their forefinger, but the pain was quickly replaced by a warmth that spread up their hands and throughout their bodies. Glowing lines of what appeared to be sap traced their way around their hands until it felt like the very bark beneath their hands had melted away into the sticky substance. Then, to even Ranma's surprise, a voice began to speak, but it was not the tree's.

"**Greetings, Mr. Castor-**" it said smoothly.

"**-Mr. Pollux-**" said another, this one sounding almost like a bark.

"**-Mr. Silvertongue-**" a third said calmly.

"**-and Mr. Redtail.**" the last one said with the slightest hint of a squeak.

"**A job well done on finding this magical beacon. Very clever of you, as most would have wasted their time trying to perform revealing charms and divining spells on the map-**" said the first voice.

"**-and would have earned our utmost derision and mockery for their trouble.**" assured the third voice good-naturedly.

"**And very brave as well, to enter the forest at night and sneak into a centaur village.**" the second voice noted approvingly.

"**But don't break your arms patting yourselves on the back just yet.**" warned the fourth voice. "**This is but the first, and the others are just as difficult to find.**"

"**As a reward, the map can now extend to this beacon. However, the Forest itself is not mapped, but we're sure enterprising mischief-makers like yourselves won't let that stop you.**" the first voice said. "**Oh, and, incidentally, you four'd best nip out of here. Apparently there is a none to friendly contingent of centaurs headed this way, and you've been spotted.**"

The four wrenched their hands away from the trunks. Only then did they realize that their hearing had been altered while touching the tree. Now, they could hear shouts and the pounding of hooves on the ground that were growing louder. Behind the tree, they could see several of the male centaurs galloping to the clearing, their bows nocked and aimed in their direction.

"Click your heels and get into the forest!" Ranma ordered. "I'll slow them down some."

The others nodded grimly and did as he said. With great, impossibly long strides, they disappeared into the forest. Ranma followed them to the tree line before turning to face the centaurs, who had almost reached the magical tree. Gathering his ki in his legs, he kicked two old, thick trees near the bases of their trunks, to no apparent effect. Not pausing to worry about this, he backed up several paces and did the same to two more trees. It was at that moment that he heard several faint, almost silent whistles and, looking up, he was horrified to see a dozen arrows bearing down on him. Ranma flipped backwards, the first arrow missing him so narrowly that it grazed his neck, and its brothers peppered the ground he'd only just vacated. Knowing that another volley was en route, he kicked one of the trees hard at it's base. A great -crack- sounded and it began to fall, crashing into one of the other trees, which promptly began to fall as well. Without another look back, Ranma sprinted off into the forest, back in the direction they'd come from earlier, no longer worrying about keeping quiet.

After several minutes of crashing through the brush and then running full out on the centaur's path, he finally caught up to Fred, George, and Lee. Ranma managed to keep pace with them, despite their long, ten foot strides. None of them spoke a word, but he imagined that, like him, the other three wore triumphant looks on their faces. Before long, they'd left the centaur's path and began treading more familiar paths, which eventually led them to the edge of the Quidditch pitch. Feeling exhausted but elated, they threw themselves onto the damp earth, their chests heaving.

After several minutes, Ranma sat up and looked over at his friends. "Well, that was fun." he said wryly. Fred snorted and raised both arms in mock triumph.

"Yeah, but I'm starting to worry that all our trips into the forest seem to end with us running for our lives." he deadpanned.

"Long as we get out, eh?" Lee said reassuringly. "That charm Cas found was a lifesaver."

"Well, it did all right." George said modestly. "And it looks like I need to work on it. My strides were shorter by the time we got here. And Ranma's still faster than us."

Ranma shrugged automatically. "It made the difference. Notice we didn't get followed? I bet they didn't believe we could move fast enough to get away. They're probably still looking for us around the village."

"Good thing we were prepared then." said Fred sagely. "Anyway, let's get a look at the map before we head back up to the castle."

Ranma was just about to move to see the map when he felt something warm and furry brush against his hand. It curled around his arm, purring contentedly. Ranma's heart leaped into his throat and he froze, not daring to look down because, if he did, he knew he would scream. Then, another bit of fur slid across his legs, while a third nudged at his stomach. He was paralyzed, his brain would not function, his eyes would not close, and a scream of terror was fighting to escape his throat.

"Oy, Ranma, come look at this." George called. "Ranma? Where'd you get to..._Lumos_."

George's wand glowed bright at the tip and he cast the light around. His gaze fell on Ranma's feet, at which lay three cats. Shifting the light up, he saw what seemed like a very funny scene. Ranma was almost _buried_ in cats. He almost laughed, until he saw his friends terror-stricken face. Ranma's eyes bulged and his mouth hung open, and he was sitting as still as a stone. "Ranma, what's going on. You all right?"

Ranma did not answer. He was trying so hard to focus on that winking star in the sky, trying to ignore the panic that threatened to engulf him. "Fred, Lee, something's wrong with Ranma." George said worriedly.

Ranma idly recognized the voice belonged to someone he knew, someone he trusted. "Help...me..." he whispered hoarsely, glancing a moment at George. In that brief instant, a cat stood up on his chest and licked his face. A blood-curdling scream rang out across the grounds, and Ranma knew no more.

Someone was shaking his shoulder, but Ranma was far too tired to wake up yet. "Geroff." he mumbled.

"Well, that's an improvement." he heard Lee say. "At least he's not meowing anymore."

Meowing? Ranma opened his eyes and blinked them, trying to adjust to the light. He was lying down on the floor. The twins and Lee sat on the floor next to him, each looking extremely worried. He glanced about and immediately recognized where he was: the dueling classroom. Ranma sat up slowly, trying to ignore a dull headache. "What-what happened?" he asked fearfully.

"We were hoping you could tell us." answered Fred. "We heard you scream bloody murder, then you seemed to go all rigid. Then you started-"

"Acting like a cat." George finished. It was a mark of the seriousness of the situation that he did not grin. "It was bloody odd. You shook off all the cats, then chased them back up to the castle. We had to run after you."

"Probably wouldn't've caught you without the charmed shoes." Lee admitted. "Then we got you to follow us-"

"We ran into Peeves-" for the first time, Fred did grin.

"-and we came up here." Lee paused. "Those cats followed us too, but Freya put some kind of repelling charm on the door."

"The four of us tried stunning you for almost a quarter hour, but we couldn't hit you, so Fred went back to the dormitories to get some knock-out powder." said George. "After that, Freya woke you up."

Ranma nodded, staring at his lap. He felt humiliated and embarrassed and, worst of all, weak. "Look, Ranma, what's going on? You can tell us." Lee said quietly.

He got up and began to pace slowly. Ranma had never intended to keep this secret forever, but he never expected to have to reveal it so soon. However, it was now out of the bag, so to speak, and at least he could tell them the truth. "I'm afraid of cats." he said resignedly. "Terrified. I can't think of anything else that scares me more. I've been this way since I was six, when my father tried to teach me a special technique called the 'Cat's Fist'. I was basically mauled by cats for half a day."

The three Marauders were stunned speechless. Ranma flashed a pained grin. "The sound, or smell, or look of a cat is enough to frighten me, so I avoid them, but they seem to like being around me. I've kept them away all year by carrying catsbane around with me at all times, but I must've lost the locket it was in tonight. I didn't tell anyone about it because I thought I had it under control, and I didn't want anyone bothering me about it."

Lee and the twins thought this over a minute. "Well, I don't blame you." Lee said. "Honestly, we _would_ have taken the mick out of you if we'd known."

"Not after this though." Fred remarked soberly. "I mean, this is more than fear, it's almost insa- ow!"

George had kicked his brother. "I think what my brother's trying to say is that it's no joking matter. And you should get some help with it. Maybe Madame Pomfrey-"

"No." Ranma said stubbornly. "I'll be fine as long as I carry around catsbane. The cats won't come close enough for me to even see them. Promise me you'll keep it to yourself."

His friends looked skeptically at him, but they nodded in agreement. After asking Ranma where to find it, Lee ran off to Gryffindor Tower to get a pinch of catsbane while they waited. Several minutes passed before Ranma remembered something that Fred had idly mentioned earlier. "Fred, what happened when you saw Peeves earlier?"

"Oh, that." Fred broke into a wide grin. "I think you scared the life out of him, if he had a life, that is."

Ranma raised his eyebrow at this. "How?"

"Dunno. He was cackling at us and threatening to get Filch, when you suddenly jumped at him, too fast for him to do anything. He started screaming about being cut and that you'd killed him, but I didn't see you hit him."

"I dunno, Fred, I thought I saw the light reflect off something." George mused. "Either way, Peeves ran away screaming like a banshee down the second floor corridor. Very lucky, too, because Filch followed him instead of us."

Ranma looked amused but also slightly worried. "You think he's really dead?"

Fred snorted. "Even we aren't _that_ lucky."

The next morning, Ranma came down to breakfast and took his regular seat between Harry and Lee. The Marauders all greeted him heartily before returning to their food, but Hermione, Ron, and Harry were strangely silent.

"What's up?" he asked, turning to grin at them. They, however, were not grinning back. In fact, they looked rather upset with him. "What? Hermione, you're not still angry at me for skiving of astronomy?"

"Never mind that, we'll talk about it after breakfast." she said curtly before turning to her own plate. Neither Harry nor Ron would look at him either.

"Fine. After breakfast then." he said. Piling his plate with food, he turned to join a conversation with the twins and Lee.

On the way to Transfiguration, Ranma broached the subject of astronomy again, but it was not Hermione who answered. "You didn't just skive off astronomy." Ron said crossly. "You were supposed to go down to Hagrid's too, remember?"

Ranma smacked himself on the forehead. "Blimey, I completely forgot!" he said apologetically. "I hope Hagrid isn't angry that no one showed up?"

"He's not because _I_ showed up." Ron replied sourly.

"We flipped a coin and Ron lost." Hermione explained.

"Oh. Well thanks for covering for me." Ranma gave a nervous laugh. "I, err, hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"Oh yeah, no trouble at all." Ron said sarcastically. "I mean, who really needs a hand anyway?"

Ron held up his right hand, wincing in pain. It looked to Ranma as if Ron was wearing a big, flesh-colored glove. His hand was easily twice as large as normal, and it sported a nasty, jagged cut across the back that was open and oozing slightly with sickly green discharge. "What the- what happened to your hand?" Ranma asked, recoiling slightly.

"Norbert. He bit me. I guess his fangs are poisonous." Ron grumbled. "At least we can get rid of him soon."

At his questioning look, Harry explained. "We got Charlie's answer back. Some friends of his are going to get Norbert."

"Well, that _is_ good news." Ranma said with a grin. Still, none of his friends would return the gesture. "Oh, come on. Look, I messed up, all right? I'm sorry, Ron, really. I just, you know, forgot."

"Wish I'd forgot." Ron groused, but he nodded at Ranma anyway.

"Look, I'll make it up to you. I'll...I'll go look after Norbert until Charlie's friends come to get him, all right?"

These seemed to be the magic words for Harry and Hermione, as they were the ones who were slated to go see Norbert. "I suppose that would help." Hermione said stiffly, but she smiled. "And no more skiving off classes. I can't keep making up excuses. Lucky for you that Professor Sinistra has seen you eat, and she actually believed you had a stomach ache."

His friends laughed. "Very funny. You're a real comedian Hermione." Ranma replied, rolling his eyes. "Ron, you should really have Madame Pomfrey look at that. It looks terrible."

"Yeah, I know, but what if she recognizes it's a dragon bite?"

"Tell her a dog bit you." Harry said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I guess. I'll see you guys later." Ron said, turning to walk back down the corridor.

They did not see Ron again until after classes ended that afternoon, when they rushed up to the hospital wing. He was laid up in bed and was in a right state, and not just because his hand was hurting. "Malfoy told Madame Pomfrey he wanted to borrow my books just so he could get a laugh at me. He kept threatening to tell her what bit me, the git."

"Don't worry about that idiot." Ranma said dismissively.

"Right. It'll all be over at midnight on Saturday anyway." Hermione said.

"Midnight on Saturday!" Ron sat bolt upright and began to sweat. "Oh no – I've just remembered, Charlie's letter was in that book that Malfoy took! He's going to know we're getting rid of Norbert!"

Ranma, Hermione, and Harry all looked stunned at him for a moment, but before they could react properly, Madame Pomfrey bustled over and ordered them out so that Ron could rest.

"You know, this keeps getting better and better." Harry remarked irritably as they left. Ranma and Hermione nodded solemnly in agreement. "It's too late to change the plan now. We haven't got time to send another owl, and this might be our only chance of getting rid of Norbert. And we _have_ got the invisibility cloak, Malfoy doesn't know about that."

When Saturday finally did arrive, Ron was still in the hospital wing, so it was only the three of them that made their way down to Hagrid's under the invisibility cloak. It had been quite a chore to get the twins and Lee to believe he was going to bed, especially since Saturday nights were usually reserved for Marauder activities. He'd considered borrowing the Marauders' map but decided against it, because he would have to explain it to Harry and Hermione. When they finally arrived, they found that Norbert was packed and ready in a large crate.

"Err, this could be a problem." Harry said, sizing the crate up. "I don't think the invisibility cloak's big enough for all three of us and Norbert."

"This was true enough; it had only just covered the three of them on the way down. "Hermione, you should stay here with Hagrid." Ranma said.

"Why do I have to stay behind?" she demanded fiercely. "Because I'm a girl, is it?"

Ranma just barely caught himself before he agreed with her. That would surely have been asking for trouble. "Ah, no, of course not." he replied. "Honestly, Hermione, I'm stronger than you, and it's Harry's cloak."

For once, Hermione could not seem to argue with his reasoning. "Hagrid, can I have a couple pieces of rope?"

They left Hermione to console Hagrid, who was bawling over losing his 'little baby'. Said 'little baby', who Ranma thought weighed at least a hundred pounds, was strapped to his back. Thanks largely to Ranma's strength, the trip to the castle's tallest tower was fairly easy. When they reached the corridor leading to the tower, however, they were startled by movement. In the moonlight shining through a far window, they could just barely make out the dark outlines of two people grappling with each other. A lamp flared to life and they could see Professor McGonagall, in a tartan robe and a hair net, holding Malfoy by the ear

"Detention!" she shouted. "And twenty points from Slytherin! Wandering around in the middle of the night, how _dare_ you-"

"You don't understand, Professor. Harry Potter's coming – he's got a dragon!"

"What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on – I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!"

Any other time, Ranma and Harry might have laughed, but, instead, they soberly watched the pair exit the corridor. A few minutes earlier, and it would have been _them_, not Malfoy, who'd been caught. It was not until they'd ascended the spiral staircase and stepped into the cold night air that they threw off the stifling cloak and allowed themselves a good chuckle at what they'd seen.

"That was brilliant. A bit too close though." Ranma remarked.

"Yeah, but Malfoy's got detention and it was worth it to see that." Harry said with a grin.

About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness. Charlie's friends were very friendly but, as they were all feeling a bit rushed by the situation, they quickly strapped Norbert into the harness they'd rigged up between their brooms. After shaking hands with Ranma and Harry, they kicked off and, within moments, they were gone. The two boys sighed with relief, as if a great weight had lifted from their shoulders.

They slipped back down the spiral stairs, feeling elated. Everything had gone to plan and, for a bonus, Malfoy had gotten detention. It seemed nothing could spoil the night. As they approached the foot of the stairs, though, Ranma felt his ki sense flare briefly. Someone, and he could guess who, was nearby. He threw out his arm and motioned for Harry to be quiet. "Filch." Ranma whispered as quietly as he could.

Sure enough, half a flight down, Ranma could hear shuffling steps that were punctuated by a slight limp. He could tell that Filch was trying to keep quiet, as if he were expecting to sneak up on someone. Ranma wondered at this for a moment before realizing that surely Malfoy had confided in someone to ensure that they'd be in trouble. The steps paused at the stairs for an excruciatingly long minute before moving on down the corridor. As silently as possible, they crept down the remaining stairs and peered around the corner, not daring to move until Filch had exited the corridor.

"That was too close." Harry whispered.

"No kidding." Ranma agreed as they stepped into the corridor. "Let's just get back to Gryffindor Tower."

"I have a better idea." sneered a voice that was definitely _not_ Harry's. "Why don't you two follow me to Professor McGonagall's office. I'm sure she'll be delighted to see you both."

They froze and turned towards a voice that they knew so well and hated so much. Holding up a lamp, which he'd been hiding, was Snape, a look of mingled triumph and satisfaction playing across his face. His eyes glittered maliciously and looked directly at them. They had forgotten the invisibility cloak on top of the tower.

To Be Continued...in Chapter 13: The Forbidden Forest

There are only 3 chapters remaining in Book 1...

Author's Notes:

It's been a month. I could give you so many excuses, but let's skip that and just chalk it up to real life. Oh, and this was a really hard chapter to get through. I was literally stuck for a week on the part with Snape, McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Ranma. Sometimes scenes just won't come out, no matter how much you write, and since I refuse to write out of sequence, it held up the entire chapter. At any rate, I hope you all found it enjoyable. If you think it's more interesting than "Norbert The Norwegian Ridgeback" in canon, that's good enough for me (I really hate that chapter in the book). The next chapter should not take nearly as long, but I'll say three weeks just to be safe.

No rant this time around, just a comment on some reviews. I guess I don't consider myself to be much for intentionally writing funny bits, so I was a bit surprised that so many people found parts of the last chapter funny (dare I even say _hilarious_?). It's not that I don't know funny, being a fairly amusing person, but I've never felt that I've been able to translate 'the funny" into my work. So it's nice to know I can make people laugh out loud, even when it wasn't my primary goal.

The usual thanks are in order. To Kim especially, who must be sick to death of hearing me talk about this story by now. To my reviewers. you rock, I'm fighting on to the end of this book for you. Thanks to those who have me on their faves and C2s, I hope you guys will give me a review too if you haven't already. And, of course, to the readers. The story is at 50k+ hits (I know, not all unique, but whatever), which is pretty good considering it's tucked away in the Ranma section. I hope you all keep coming back. Oh yeah, and direct any questions about the story to the forum I made for the story, which you can find on my profile. You can also check the status of a chapter there.

Sorry for making you read this looooooooooong A.N. section


	13. The Forbidden Forest

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

**Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: Please note that this chapter contains and is inspired by portions of Chapter 15 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits). If you're keeping score, it has the same title as well.

**Chapter 13: The Forbidden Forest**

"Well, well, we are in trouble." Snape's said silkily, a nasty smile spreading across his face. "Lead the way, Saotome, as I'm sure you could probably make your way to Professor McGonagall's office blindfolded."

Ranma, however, did not move from the defensive stance he'd instinctively assumed. His mind was fluctuating between berating himself for forgetting the invisibility cloak and regretting his decision to leave the Marauders' Map in Gryffindor Tower. He frantically tried to find a way out of their situation, but all of his thoughts ended with Snape's memory being erased, which, even if he could properly do magic, he did not know how to do. The only thing Ranma could think to do was stall. "I'd rather not have my back to you right now, _sir_." he replied, not bothering to hide the accusatory tone in his voice.

Snape's eyes narrowed and he clenched his jaw; apparently he'd understood the implication. "Detention, Saotome!" the man snapped. "Now move, or it'll be a week."

Before he could reply, Harry kicked him in the shin and shook his head. "Don't." he whispered. Gritting his teeth, Ranma turned on his heel and stalked off down the corridor, Harry and Snape following close in his wake.

"How very fitting that I should apprehend the two most arrogant rule-breakers in the castle." Snape said with a sneer. "If it were up to me, you would be packing your trunks tonight."

"Good thing it's not up to you, you greasy-haired git." Ranma grumbled under his breath. Snape, fortunately, did not seem to hear him, thanks to their echoing steps and the tirade of insults Snape was halfway through. With the brisk pace Ranma set, they arrived at Professor McGonagall's office in record time.

"Inside, and not a word." Snape ordered.

They filed inside, jumping slightly as the door slammed shut. Snape had left them alone in the office and locked the door. They hovered near the desk, too nervous to sit in the uncomfortable chairs and glancing from one another to a clock on the wall that read twelve fifty. The wait was nerve-wracking. Ranma's mind furiously churned excuses and cover stories, anything to get them out of the situation. From the ever-worsening expression on his face, Ranma could tell that Harry, too, was struggling to find an escape, though there clearly was none. McGonagall would surely scoff at any excuse they had for being out of bed and up the astronomy tower. On the off chance that they weren't expelled, there was little doubt that McGonagall would throw the book at them and then some. Ranma didn't think that things could be any worse. This could not have been further from reality.

Ten minutes after they'd entered the office, the door banged open, and in walked Neville, looking beside himself with panic. Snape followed close behind, and Professor McGonagall strode in last. Furious did not quite describe the look on her face; it may have been a trick of the light, but Ranma thought he saw steam drifting from her hairnet.

"Harry! I was trying to find you to warn you about Malfoy!" Neville burst out, despite the growing storm behind him. " He was saying he was going to catch you, and that you had a drag-"

"Longbottom, hold your tongue!" Snape barked, cutting Neville off, but not before Harry and Ranma had both hissed at him and shook their heads. Professor McGonagall saw this and seemed ready to lose her temper completely.

"Professor Snape says he caught you both coming from the astronomy tower." she said, barely controlling her voice. "Explain yourselves, and it had better be good."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Ranma quickly kicked him as surreptitiously as possible. There was no way Harry could make up a good enough lie to satisfy McGonagall. Honestly, Ranma did not think he could either, despite all the practice living with his father had given him, but he knew saying something would be better than nothing at all. "It's just like Malfoy said." Ranma said with a shrug. "We were delivering a dragon to dragon handlers."

The reaction was predictable but, thankfully, muted. Harry stared at him with a look of mingled disbelief and betrayal, while Neville looked simply shocked, and the two teachers looked angry. Inwardly, Ranma smirked; Genma had always said that, sometimes, the best lie was the truth. In this case, though, he doubted anything short of a medical emergency would have been a good enough excuse for McGonagall.

"What is this rubbish, Saotome?" sneered Snape, his lips curling. "You dare to lie to us?"

"That will do, Professor Snape." McGonagall snapped. She turned her stony gaze to Ranma and it was all he could do to avoid flinching. "Despite what Fred and George Weasley may have told you, Mr. Saotome, I do not find it amusing at all when students break rules, nor when one lies to me."

"But I'm not lying-" Ranma insisted.

"QUIET, Saotome!" Her eyes flashed dangerously, and Ranma knew immediately that he hadn't helped the situation. "I have an idea of what really went on. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?"

"But Professor, that doesn't make sense." Ranma said before quickly hurrying on. "We could've told him that and stayed in our dorm instead of risking getting in trouble by leaving the dorm."

"Saotome, I told you to be quiet, and I won't say it again." McGonagall glowered at him. "The nerve of you both, wandering the castle after hours, getting two other students into trouble, and lying to my face about it all. I'm disgusted. I thought Gryffindor meant more to you all than this. All three of you will receive detentions – yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, _nothing_ gives you the right to walk around the school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous. And fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor-"

"Fifty?" Harry gasped, looking horrified.

"Fifty points _each_." she added, breathing heavily, as if saying those words had been tremendously difficult.

"Professor – please – " croaked Neville.

"You _can't – _"pleaded Harry.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter!" she retorted.

"But that's not fair!" Ranma said. "Malfoy was out of bed, too, and you only took twenty-"

Ranma slapped his hand over his mouth, a mortified look on his face, but it was too late. Professor McGonagall did not even bother hiding her fury. "Not fair, is it? I'll be the judge of that! I suppose you thought it really funny to see me catch Draco Malfoy, did you? Another twenty-five points from the both of you and another detention!" she yelled. Snape looked on gleefully as she took several great, heaving breaths to calm herself. "Now, off to bed with you three. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students. If any of you, especially Saotome or Potter, put another toe out of line, there will be hell to pay, I guarantee it."

The walk back to Gryffindor tower, escorted by McGonagall, was painfully silent. Ranma's thoughts fluctuated between the unfairness of McGonagall's punishment and guilt over losing so many points. He numbly thought about all the points they had just lost, completely obliterating the lead Gryffindor had in the house championship. Ranma dreaded to see the deficit parchment which, even before that evening, still showed red numbers. There was no way they could possibly win all of it back, even with Quidditch.

As they marched up the stairs to the dormitory, Neville finally cracked under the strain and started whimpering. Neither Harry nor Ranma could blame him. "Come on, Neville, it's not that bad." Harry said bracingly as they stopped outside of their door. Neville only sniffed louder. "Look, if we just keep quiet, no one will know it was us, right?"

Ranma shook his head despondently. "We're not that lucky. By the time we wake up, the whole castle will know. Snape will make sure of it."

"Well at least you two are popular. They'll forgive _you_." Neville sobbed before rushing into the dormitory. Giving each other pensive looks, Ranma and Harry followed him inside.

Strangely enough, despite all that had happened and the fallout that was certain to come, Ranma slept very soundly. He simply could not let any of his troubles keep him from getting a good night's sleep; years on the road with Genma had taught him the value of sleep. When he rose for his morning practice, though, he was surprised to find both Harry and Neville wide awake, staring at the sunlight streaming into the room as if it was their executioner. Ranma wanted to say something, but his voice froze in his throat, and he realized that he was as apprehensive about what was going to happen as they were. Quietly, he left the dormitory, thankful that he always started his day earlier than anyone else. As he pushed himself through a vigorous training session, Ranma wondered just how badly everyone would take the news.

It didn't take long to find out. As predicted, the story stormed the castle as fast as it had when Ranma had defeated Marcus Flint and his cronies, if not faster. In the span of a half hour, everyone's opinion of Harry and Ranma had flipped around completely. Before, Harry was the hero of Gryffindor Quidditch, and Ranma had been the amazing first year who had humiliated Slytherin House. After the news had made it around the school, their names were spat on as if they were the worst criminals.

The Slytherins were the only ones not upset by the news and they were only too happy to show their appreciation by round of applause whenever Ranma, Harry, or Neville were within earshot. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were as bad, in their own ways. They had been hoping that Slytherin might lose the House cup and, seeing the chance vanish, they took their anger and frustration out on the three of them. They could not walk down the hall without being openly and loudly insulted. This irritated Ranma, who had grown to enjoy the popularity he'd earned, and the only thing keeping him from getting into arguments was Hermione, who constantly intoned to them "Just ignore them."

Worst of all, though, was the reaction of their own house mates. Gryffindors rewarded acts of courage and skill that brought glory to the house, but they harshly punished those whose actions brought dishonor on the house. Ranma might even have accepted this, as it was very close to the concept of honor that he'd learned from his own father and many other senseis, but he'd already seen, even in Gryffindor, that the rules didn't apply equally to everyone. He might even have argued this point with his house mates, except that, save for Hermione, Harry, and Ron, they'd all stopped speaking to him. No one seemed to remember that, thanks to him and Harry, Gryffindor had had a comfortable lead in the House Cup standings.

Dinner that evening was nothing short of infuriating for Ranma. If Hermione and Ron hadn't saved them seats, neither Harry nor Ranma would have found space at the Gryffindor table, despite it's ability to seat the entire house several times over. The Marauders, he'd noticed, were no where to be found and, in fact, he had not seen Lee or the twins all day. Ranma ate quickly, seething as people around him made no effort to hide their insults, and left before someone said something that would really make him angry. The final insult, though, came after dinner on Sunday, he was told by a despondent Harry that Wood had dismissed him from his reserve duties.

"WHAT?" Ranma exclaimed loudly, jumping from his chair. "Why?"

"He wouldn't say. He just told me to tell you that." Harry said despondently.

"That's not fair, him kicking us off the team just because-"

"He, er, he didn't kick us both off." Harry said sheepishly. "I offered to resign, but he yelled at me about winning the next match to get points back."

Ranma looked stunned for several moments. The unfairness of Wood's actions made his insides boil. Somehow, he was sure the other Gryffindors would think he was getting what he deserved, but since Harry was needed to win the Quidditch cup, they would deign to allow him to continue playing. "Sorry." Harry apologized, noticing the shadow pass over Ranma's face.

"It's not your fault Wood's a git." Ranma replied, almost spitting the last few words out. "Why didn't he just tell me himself?"

Harry shrugged. "He didn't say. I guess he didn't want to break 'the silence'."

There was a sharp -crack- as the arm of Ranma's chair snapped under his tight grip. "Fine." he said before raising his voice loudly enough for everyone around him to hear. "I don't need to bother with a team whose captain is afraid to sack me personally."

"Ranma, don't! You're not making things any better!" Hermione hissed warningly from her seat nearby. Around them, people were muttering amongst themselves, no doubt insulting him, but, knowing Ranma's reputation, they were wary of talking too loudly.

"It doesn't matter. Nothing me or Neville or Harry does matters. It's all points and the house cup and beating Slytherin." Ranma replied with a mirthless chuckle. "They'll only care if we miraculously get all the points back. And so what if that happens? We all go back to the way it was before? Me and Neville and Harry, we're supposed to forget about everyone being an arse to us?" Snatching up his bag, he stormed out of the common room, ignoring the Fat Lady's warnings about curfew. Ranma needed to blow off some steam, or, next time he saw Oliver Wood, he was likely to treat the fifth-year like a bludger.

Unfortunately, neither tai-chi nor yoga could quell Ranma's anger, which had been simmering beneath the surface the entire day. Even meditation was a wash; he was simply too angry to properly clear his mind. Since he hadn't been able to find his fellow Marauders, and Ron and Hermione were probably already getting an earful from Harry, Ranma had hoped that Freya would be around so he could talk to her about the situation. Her portrait remained empty, however. He was seriously debating whether destroying his dragon hide punch bags was worth the price of venting his anger, when he heard the door to the classroom close.

Ranma jumped in alarm and spun around quickly to face the intruders, angrily berating himself for not paying attention. The sight of Fred, George, and Lee did not make him feel relieved, though. Instead, he felt stabs of annoyance and bitterness that made him look away from them with shame. Despite having missed them all day, Ranma didn't want to see them at that moment. He wanted to put off indefinitely what was sure to be an uncomfortable conversation.

Their usual good-natured greeting was absent, and they were silent as they walked across the room towards him. From their folded arms, shifting glances, and scowling faces, it was obvious that they, too, were upset, and at him. This thought drove any feelings of shame or apprehension from his mind and stoked his already inflamed temper. What right did they have to be angry with him? They were supposed to be his friends, after all. They, of all people, should have understood. Ranma narrowed his eyes challengingly at them and braced himself for an unpleasant conversation.

"Oh, it's you lot." Ranma said with a grunt, breaking the awkward silence. "Where've you been all day? Got tired of avoiding me?"

The three visibly stiffened. "Of course we weren't avoiding you." Lee said defensively. Ranma snorted disbelievingly.

"Right, you three were just too busy, eh? That's fine, I've had the whole school avoiding me today. Join the club" he said darkly. His words did not provoke much of a reaction beyond a few wary glances between the three of them. "So why'd you need to see me all of a sudden? Was Wood worried that Harry wouldn't give me the good news?"

Lee did not seem to understand what he was getting at though, to his dismay, the twins looked uncomfortable. Ranma glared at them for a minute, but they didn't respond to his thinly veiled accusation. "Well, it's good to know I have loyal friends on the team." he said bitterly.

George's eyes grew wide at the implication "Hey, don't look at us. Wood sacked you, not us." he retorted.

"Didn't try to stop him though, did you?" Fred and George shifted guiltily but neither said a word. Ranma snorted derisively. "I didn't think so. No wonder Harry didn't want to talk about it. He knew you two didn't even try."

"What the hell were we supposed to do? Wood's captain, he chooses the players." Fred said, his voice rising. "What did you think would happen, anyway? That everyone would just give you three a pass, after losing all those points?"

"We warned you about the deficit, remember?" George added. "We weren't just saying that because we liked to hear ourselves talk."

"You could've fooled me." Ranma sneered. "And you don't have to remind me about bloody points, the whole school's done that ten times over. _Nothing's_ more important than points."

"You think that's all we're on about? What about you lying to us, huh? Care to explain that?" said Fred.

Ranma flushed slightly, but he held his ground. "Well, that's easy. It's because you three are nosy, and you won't keep out of things that don't concern you." He replied callously, feeling oddly satisfied at the anger it provoked.

"Doesn't concern us? It damn well concerns us when you lose that many points in one go!" Fred said heatedly. "You know what they're saying in the Tower right now? That you and Neville and Harry are off-limits, and anyone who breaks the silence will get the same treatment. That's what we've got to deal with, and you're just standing there like it doesn't even matter!"

"Oh yeah, poor _you_. What, you're worried you'll lose your precious popularity just because of me? Excuse me if I don't have any sympathy." Ranma said scathingly. He was feeling such perverse pleasure from trying to hurt their feelings that the next two sentences tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "You're so brave out in the Forest, but you turn coward when you have to go against the House? It's pathetic."

"You take that back!" George yelled, his hand flashing into his robes. Fred stopped him, but, like his brother, he'd gone crimson with anger.

"Go on then." Ranma challenged, clenching his fists so hard that the knuckles popped loudly. The itch to fight, to do something to vent his frustrations was so strong that he hardly felt sorry for baiting his friends. Insulting them seemed to only whet his appetite.

"All right, just stop it, everyone! George!" Lee barked. He looked pointedly at Ranma, his eyes flashing angrily for a moment, before he sighed deeply. "Ranma, at least give us a clue as to why we should suffer the wrath of almost all of the house. Tell us what you were doing that you had to lie to us about."

Ranma looked at them silently, then shrugged. "I was doing a favor for a friend. And the school, for that matter." They looked expectantly at him, but he did not elaborate.

"_And?_" George demanded. "That's all?"

"That's all I'm telling you."

"That's not good enough!" Fred snapped, barely containing his mounting anger..

"Well it'll have to be!" Ranma bellowed. "I don't owe you any explanations!"

"Like hell you don't. First you lie to us about what you were doing, then you don't explain yourself, and you expect us to just accept that? Are you mental?" Fred said.

"And what about you? You think, just because we're friends, that you have the right to know all of my secrets? All you three have to do is take my word on it, but I guess that's too hard for you. Some friends."

"That's bang out of order, mate." Lee growled. "_We're_ not the ones who lied. _We're_ not keeping secrets from you. What kind of friend are you, doing that?"

"The kind that saved your arses from acromantula and ran with you in the forest and set up pranks. The kind of friend that risked losing loads more points and did more dangerous things than getting caught out of bounds in the corridors. But you've never heard me moaning about ruddy points when any of you lost any." Ranma said levelly.

"Yeah, well we've never lied to you, or kept secrets." George asked.

"I already told you why I lied. You don't have to like it, it's just the way it is." Ranma replied coolly. "And you're thick if you think that, just because you don't keep secrets, I can't."

"We don't do that. Marauders, _our_ Marauders, don't work like that." Lee said stubbornly.

"I don't remember agreeing to that. But if you don't like my decisions, kick me out. In fact, I'll make it easy for us, since we can't agree." Even as he spoke the next two words, he felt a sickening sensation, as if a weight had dropped into his stomach. "I quit."

"Be reasonable, Ranma!" Lee pleaded.

"What about the Marauders challenge! We're a team!" added George frantically.

"Were a team. And I thought we were friends, until today." And then, the floodgates seemed to open. Every doubt and bitter thought Ranma had ever had about their group came to the surface and spilled out in a rush. "I'm not your friend. I'm just the muscle, the one that does all the heavy lifting. I'm the troll-killing bodyguard for the forest. No one will mess with the Marauders, not when one of them's dangerous, right? I've backed you three up this whole time, without hesitation, but the one time _I_ need _you_, you get scared. And over what? Some stupid house points. I'm supposed to trust you and forget that you three couldn't trust me?"

"Ranma, it's not like that-" George insisted.

"Yeah it is. It's exactly like that. And I don't think I can do it anymore."

Ranma's words seemed to echo for eternity. He didn't wait for any reaction. Turning on his heel, he strode across the room, grabbed his bag and headed for the door, even as his former friends called after him. "Ranma, wait!" Fred called out, but, by the time they'd reached the door, Ranma was nowhere to be seen.

The next few days were very difficult for Ranma. He was torn three ways, between simmering anger at other students, guilt over blowing up at the twins and Lee, and a strangely satisfying vindictive pleasure whenever he saw and made a show of ignoring the other Marauders. Deep down, Ranma knew he'd taken everything out of proportion and fought baselessly with them. Maybe, if the castle hadn't been such a hostile environment, he might have gone to make amends. But it only took a sneer or loudly whispered insult to bring the anger to the surface and sweep away any remorse Ranma was feeling. The only people who were spared, in fact, were Ron, Harry, and Hermione, who pointedly avoided mentioning his old friends and made no note of the fact that he was hanging out with them full time, after months of spending most of his free time with the twins and Lee.

Ranma had no ill feelings for Neville either, but the boy seemed to be avoiding him, which, considering they had classes together, was a feat unto itself. Ranma could not seem to find him to study, nor did the boy show up for their regular training session. Remembering the last time they'd been on good terms, the night they'd all been caught out of bounds, Ranma realized that McGonagall had more or less blamed them for Neville getting in trouble. Neville, no doubt, had believed her explanation. Ranma groaned to himself and cursed Snape and McGonagall. Like most adults he'd met, they seemed to be remarkably skilled at making his life difficult. There was no way he was going to let the situation ruin all of his friendships. Guessing where Neville might be, Ranma strode purposefully towards the library.

He found the boy in an out of the way corner, studying alone and looking decidedly less miserable than he did during the day. Ranma didn't blame him; getting away from all the nasty looks and insults, even for just a short while, must have seemed like paradise, even though they'd only had to endure it a few days. Neville looked up from his book hesitantly, but his expression hardened when it fell on Ranma. "What do you want?" he asked curtly.

"To talk. You've been avoiding me, and I want to know why." Ranma said as he dropped into a seat across the table from Neville.

"Isn't it obvious?" Neville replied without looking up from his book.

Ranma sighed deeply to calm himself. "Yeah, it is. I just want to know why you believe McGonagall's story instead of asking me and Harry about what happened."

"Why, so you can tell me something to make you look better?" Neville retorted accusingly.

"Yeah, something like that, only it'll be the truth." Ranma said. Neville made a disbelieving noise, but he continued. "Look, I give you my word of honor that I'll tell you the truth about what happened, if you'll listen."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me, your word?"

"I dunno, but it means something to _me_. I was raised to believe that my honor is my life. I'd never swear on it if I didn't mean it." Ranma paused to let the words sink in. "Now, will you listen?"

Neville chewed on his lip nervously, but didn't say anything. Finally, he nodded, and Ranma gave another deep sigh of relief. "Good. First, I'll be honest with you, it's not our fault that you got caught." Neville opened his mouth to protest, but Ranma held up his hand and cut him off. "Let me finish. I appreciate what you tried to do, we both do, but you should have stayed in Gryffindor Tower, or at least have been more careful. We never planned for anyone to know that we'd be out that night. Malfoy just happened to find out, and it was just bad luck that you heard about it.

"Second, what you overheard from Malfoy was true. Harry and I had a dragon and we were handing him off to a group of dragon handlers. It was only a couple weeks old, but we thought it might be a good idea to get him away from the school before he was big enough to start causing trouble."

"But where'd you – who - " Neville stammered.

"That's not important. We were just helping out a friend who'd gotten the stupid idea of trying to raise a dragon. What _is_ important, though, is that you know the truth now, and that you realize that I'm trusting you with this secret. Now you see why we didn't dare say anything when we got caught. Since you got caught up in this too, I figured you deserved to at least know the truth."

Neville didn't respond for a minute. His brow was furrowed and his lips silently mouthed the argument he was having internally. "Why should I believe you?" he asked finally.

Ranma shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Because I have no reason to lie to you now. Because I can't teach you if you don't trust me. And because you can ask Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and they'll back me up." he said sincerely.

Neville looked at him, then shook his head. "No, that's okay. I've trusted you so far and you haven't lied to me. If you say that's what happened, then I believe you." Neville ran his hand through his hair nervously and sighed. "I'm just being stupid, you know. Everyone's treating us so horrible, and I just wanted to be mad at someone too. Besides myself, I mean."

"Don't be." Ranma responded. "You were doing what you thought was right, just like we were. You weren't wrong to try to help your friends. Sometimes rules just get in the way, you know?"

Neville nodded in agreement. "How do you stay so calm about all of this? Doesn't it make you mad?"

"Yeah, course it does." Ranma replied sagely. "But I did what was right, and nothing anyone says is going to make me feel bad about it."

Neville looked heartened at this. "Thanks for stopping by, Ranma." he said, sounding a little more upbeat. "Are we still training? I mean, if you're not too busy..."

"Funny enough, I'm not busy at all." Ranma said darkly as thoughts of the Marauders came to mind. He shook his head and rose to his feet. "See you later, Neville."

Repairing his friendship with Neville turned out to be the solitary highlight of that week. Fortunately, the exams were right around the corner and, thanks in large part to a sympathetic Ron and Hermione, Ranma and Harry were far too busy revising to think about much else. They learned very quickly that, before curfew, the library was a haven from the snide remarks and icy glares, and the four of them were as good as fixtures in the place, much to Madame Pince's displeasure. After Ranma had sorted things out with him, Neville would join them most days as well. After curfew, they'd generally sequester themselves in a corner of the common room, far from the fire, where they could revise quietly without attracting the attention of their house mates. In the end, as much as Ranma hated to admit it, it was a blessing in disguise for the three outcasts because, thanks to Hermione's ambitious revision schedule and their lack of anything better to do, the five of them would probably have some of the better marks in their year.

Of course, Ranma could not spend all his time studying. Neville was even more keen on learning martial arts after seeing him do some light (for Ranma, at least) warm up exercises before one of their lessons. He had since begun showing Neville the basics of striking to supplement further work in throws, joint locks, and movement. Neville was a very apt pupil whose resilience and diligence in practice gave him the confidence to learn quickly. This was quite contrary to his performance in classes, where he was a regular underperformer. When Ranma asked him about it, Neville only shrugged and replied that it was much easier when he didn't have any expectations to live up to.

Besides training Neville, Ranma had to refocus on his own training, especially since, during his short stint as a Marauder, he'd let it slip much more than he'd realized. Physically, he was maintaining himself well enough, and he saw no significant change in his considerable grasp of martial arts. On the other hand, he'd given hardly any time at all to learning to control his magic in the previous two months. His experience at the centaur village had already shown him one aspect of the power where he could improve, and he had a few other ideas that he hadn't yet tried.

Surprisingly, the break seemed to make the training somewhat easier than before. It was obvious, though, that he'd not paid attention to the training in the previous months, as his control over his magical energy was hardly better than it had been in January. Ranma was surprised, however, to discover that his reserve of magical energy had nearly doubled. It made no sense to him until he tried sensing his friends' magic and discovered that theirs, too, had increased. He knew they weren't actively training up their magical energy...or were they? They were, after all, constantly exercising their magic daily with practical magic classes. Just as martial arts helped expand one's own ki reserves, the magic practice must have done the same for Ranma and his classmates' magical reserves.

This revelation, in retrospect, seemed pretty obvious, but it was also very profound to Ranma, and it got him thinking seriously about ki, magic, and how he could overcome the difficulties he was having with casting spells. He couldn't prove it, but it seemed very likely that ki and magic were two kinds of the same thing: life energy. He only had himself to use as proof, but this theory seemed to hold for everything he could think of. The two energies flowed exactly the same way and used the same paths throughout the body. Both could be expanded through regular exercise of the respective energy. Both were consciously controllable. Both seemed directly related to the health of the individual and automatically worked to protect him.

If his theory was true, it would make a lot of sense out of Ranma's world. When he'd first entered the magical world, he'd been almost put off by meeting people who, by all rights, shouldn't have been alive, since they didn't have ki. Now, it was certain that they did have ki, but of a different variety, one which they were able to harness without the training or knowledge required for Muggles to use ki in a similar fashion. Even there, he and his mother were exceptions, in that they were quite clearly magical but could not harness their magic to the same degree that others could. And what of his own prior training with ki, which, by all rights, should have made using magic as simple as changing the energy he was manipulating? Could his prior knowledge be hindering, not helping, him? Or perhaps there was an underlying incompatibility between the two life energies that was affecting him? When he really thought about it, Ranma realized that there were probably hundreds of questions that needed answers before he could begin to unravel the mystery. Taking a page out of Hermione's book, he made sure to jot down his thoughts and observations, intending to eventually see Dumbledore when he had made some real progress.

To that end, Ranma set about his training in earnest. As with his ki, Ranma could now direct the energy around his body and even extend it in an aura around himself. Unlike ki, which was very resistant to extending beyond the body, magical energy seemed to flow much easier when he pushed it outside his own body, and he worked at increasing his physical tolerance for extending it far away from his body. He also found that, unsurprisingly, magical energy could be used interchangeably with ki in martial arts. Using it to strengthen muscles, toughen bones, and aid in movement was virtually the same in practice, if somewhat different in results. For instance, with ki, strengthening bones meant the ki literally reinforced the bones, but with magic, it might mean the same thing, or it could be similar to a charm against breaking, or even a low-level shielding charm. Similarly, when enhancing movement, ki tended to act as a sort of invisible muscle that worked with the body, while magic worked very nearly the same, except it seemed bound more by the will and imagination of the wizard than anything else.

Ranma learned most of these details through trial and error and, more importantly, to Freya. Though she was still upset that the Marauders had broken up and had been miffed at him for a couple days, she couldn't resist watching him train. She'd begun watching over his training sessions again with even more interest when he informed her that he was training his magic. It was, in fact, her prodding about the similarities between ki and magic that led him to try using magic interchangeably with ki. It was also her observations and deep knowledge of magical theory that helped him stumble upon two very useful applications of his burgeoning ability to manipulate magic.

One evening, a week after he'd begun training his magical energy with martial arts, Ranma was in the dueling room working on yet-another dragon hide punch bag with his magically imbued fists. Unusually, each strike yielded wildly different results. Each impact seemed like a tiny war between his magic and the punch bag's magic. When he didn't concentrate enough magic into his fists, the punch bag would win and his hand's would hurt terribly. The blow right afterwards would have more than enough magic and would win the struggle, but how it did so varied. Once, the punch bag was thrown clear across the room. Another time, his punch didn't seem to have any effect, until he noticed sand leaking from a fist-sized hole on the other side of the bag. Yet another time, the dragon hide seemed to wobble and turn to jelly for a split-second, allowing his hand to pass completely through, before it regained its normal structure and enclosed his hand. This continued for half an hour, during which Ranma became progressively (and unexpectedly) more tired. Deciding to quit before he passed out, he threw himself on the ground. It was minute or so before Ranma noticed Freya mumbling excitedly to herself. This was a habit he'd grown used to over the last eight months. Recently, he'd started to actually look forward to it, as it generally meant she had a useful insight or suggestion to share.

"Come again?" he asked, dragging himself over to the dais and sitting down in front of her portrait. She looked slightly embarrassed, her ears going slightly pink, as they always did when he caught her talking to herself.

"Oh, it's, well it's probably nothing but..." She hesitated a moment.

"But..." Ranma nodded encouragingly at her and smiled.

"But, well, it seems almost foolish to suggest this, I mean, you're only a first year." she said quickly. "But..."

"But what?" he asked, sitting up straighter. When Freya hesitated twice, it usually meant something very interesting.

"Well, while you were hitting the punch bag, it almost seemed as if, and this sounds even more ridiculous when I think about it, that you were doing wandless magic."

Ranma thought on this and was, honestly, slightly disappointed. "Oh. Well, plenty of wizards do that, right?" he asked. She shook her head vigorously.

"Not at all. Of course, all wizards have the capacity for wandless magic, but it's terribly difficult. It requires quite a bit of power and control. Most don't practice it, simply because it takes a lot more effort for even the most basic of spells."

Ranma frowned. "Power and control? Well, I guess I have the control all right, but my magical energy's not anything special. Actually, it's probably below average for people in my year by a good bit."

"Hmm. That does sort of shoot down my theory." She admitted. "Still...how do you explain everything that happened to the punch bags you used?"

Ranma didn't have a good answer for that. "But I didn't do any spells, I just hit the bag." he said lamely.

She nodded thoughtfully, twirling her wand with her fingers. "Yes, I thought about that. You concentrated magic into your hands, which puts me to mind of concentrating energy through a wand. It's not really the same, of course, but the magic is still there. Magic responds to the will of the individual, as I've said before. I'm thinking that, while you were punching, you were thinking or focusing on a particular effect, probably unconsciously, and the magic in your hands responded by recreating what you had in mind."

"But if that's true, why can't everyone do it?"

"Your focus, Ranma. You said you have to have extremely good focus to move the magical energy about your body." she said, sounding more convinced as she spoke.

Ranma nodded and considered the implications. "Okay, well let's see if you're right, then." he said suddenly, feeling as if he'd caught his second wind. He jumped off the dais and headed back to the punch bag. "Tell me something to visualize, and we'll see if it works."

Freya thought on it a moment before saying, "Make it levitate ten feet."

Ranma gathered enough energy into his hand and, just to be sure, added a bit more. He then set the idea in his mind of the bag slowly rising and stopping in mid-air, replaying it several times to make sure it worked. He brought his fist back and, with a quick exhalation, struck the bag. For ten seconds, nothing happened, which in and of itself was strange, as the other times the effects had happened almost immediately. But then, the bag began to slowly rise until it stopped and remained stationary ten feet above. Despite having predicted this, Freya gasped.

"You did it." she said, amazed. "But it hardly seemed like any effort for you to do it!"

"Wow." was the last thing Ranma said before he fell back in a dead faint.

Several minutes later, he came to, silently thanking his father for teaching him how to fall, even when unconscious. Freya looked shaken, so he smiled reassuringly at her. "What happened?" she asked, her voice wavering.

Ranma looked sheepishly at her, rubbing the back of his head. "I was being stupid." he said. "I overdid it. I just didn't think it would be that bad." Freya looked inquiringly at him, so he elaborated. "It makes me tired. I've been trying to get better at it by trying to extend my magic aura further and further from my body. I think doing the punch bag plus purposely trying to do a wandless spell drained the last of my magic reserves."

Freya bit her lip worriedly. "I _knew_ it was too good to be true." she said, sounding slightly bitter. "Other than that, what was it like? Was it difficult?"

"Not really. I mean, I just concentrated the energy and thought of what I wanted to happen. Then I sorta pushed it, the magic, out of my hand."

Freya shook her head in disbelief. "It's not supposed to be that easy. If it was, we wouldn't need wands. Unless..." she trailed off, her brow furrowed. Ranma stayed quiet for several minutes as she muttered to herself. "Ranma, are you up for another go?"

He eyed her warily but could see that she was really excited. Despite feeling like another spell would knock him out, he agreed. Years later, he would realize that this was the first time he was unable to say no to a woman, a bad habit that would cause more trouble later in his life than even his Jusenkyo curse. At that moment, though, he couldn't say no to Freya's enthusiasm, and thought nothing else of it.

"Okay, try this." she said with a small squeak, reminding Ranma of Flitwick for a second. "This time, instead of picturing what will happen, just concentrate on the way you do levitation charm, and say the incantation when you hit the bag. "

With a shrug, Ranma obliged. The results were much less spectacular this time. To his credit and great surprise, the bag did float, but only a few inches off the ground. The last thing he thought, before darkness claimed him, was how much of an improvement it was over how he'd done with the feather in Charms.

Freya was nearly spare when he jerked awake. According to her, he'd be out more than a half hour. "Why did it knock you out so long this time?" Freya asked worriedly, more to herself than to him.

"That's easy. The spell wanted more energy than I had." Ranma said, rising unsteadily to his feet.

Freya nodded knowingly at this and said, "I thought so." At his inquisitive stare, she elaborated. "This explains a lot about why wandless magic is so unpopular. I never tried it myself, being rather handy with a wand and all-"

Ranma wasn't quite able to keep a derisive snort to himself, despite how tired he felt. She glared at him before continuing. "As I was saying, the problem with wandless magic is that most wizards will try performing magic the same way they do with a wand, that is, using incantations and gestures similar to wand movements. But it apparently takes more energy when you do it that way, which would explain why powerful wizards tend to be the only ones who practice the art. But your 'muggle magic' techniques seem to have them all beat when you apply them to wandless magic." She looked excitedly at him. "I'd say that you could probably even do it without touching anything. You mentioned being able to extend your magic away from your body, right? Why not try doing that instead of just punching the bag?"

"Are you mad? I'll be out all day if I do that. Remember, extending the aura takes a lot out of me too, not to mention throwing a spell in with that." Ranma said. Seeing her disappointed expression, he relented a bit. "All right, all right, we'll try it next time, when I've not exhausted my magic. But don't be surprised if you're disappointed."

It took only two more training sessions to make Ranma a true believer. It was just as Freya had surmised, and Ranma was justifiably undying in his praise of her magical knowledge. Admittedly, it would take a good deal more training to replicate what his classmates could do with wands, which had the advantage of focusing and amplifying their spells. Without having the advantage of touch, it was far more difficult and energy-intensive to pull off even the most simple effects with wandless magic, since he had to actually focus the energy over distance and maintain contact with it until it hit the target. Performing real spells over any distance longer than about a foot was out of the question, if he wanted to remain conscious. Freya suggested he learn to shoot bolts of magic, just as wands did, but Ranma knew he was a long way off from doing that. As it was, getting a wandless spell to work over more than five feet was a major accomplishment, and staying conscious after doing so was a continuing challenge.

In all, he was just happy to know that he could actually do magic without having to practice incessantly and hold off on performing a spell until the very last moment. Not that he hadn't tried to remedy the problem as his control over his magic increased. Despite his ability to manipulate his magic, no amount of forcing it through his hands would make his wand work any better. Frustrated, Ranma had given up hope that, in the near future, he would ever use his wand for anything more than window dressing. Still, Ranma was considering ways to use the wandless magic to cover up his continuing difficulties with using his own wand, which would, hopefully, quiet the people who were now openly calling him "The Squib."

The other application that Freya had inspired him to develop, while not nearly as life-changing as wandless magic, was still pretty useful, in Ranma's opinion. She had simply wondered aloud whether ki or magic could be used to enhance the body in ways other than "turning a perfectly useful hand into a troll's club." Between the two of them and their imaginations, he discovered that it was, indeed, possible, and that he'd been unconsciously doing many of them, such as enhancing his hearing and touch, for years. The real breakthrough, however, came when Ranma mentioned, as an aside, how nice it would be to be able to actually see magical energy instead of "feeling" it. At Freya's encouragement, he tried imbuing his eyes with magical energy and focusing on the notion that his eyes could perceive the same energy he could already feel. It didn't work quite right the first or even seventh time, but, after repeatedly trying to make it work, Ranma blinked his eyes and saw the world in an entirely different relief. He had discovered how to actually see magic, and now had an inkling of how he might possible do the same for ki. In the back of his mind, a plan began forming that involved this new knowledge, Genma, and a forbidden technique scrolls that he'd never managed to nick from his father.

Despite these major advances in his magical knowledge and power, Ranma decided not to share them with anyone, not immediately at least. He was tempted to go to McGonagall so that she could pass the information along to Dumbledore, but since they'd been on bad terms for some time, he decided to wait until the end of term, when he could, hopefully, talk to Dumbledore personally. And while he was sure Hermione would be dying to learn about what he now knew, he thought it might be a bit much if he openly displayed the talents, and it would be no good if he irritated the last four people he considered friends at the school. As for the twins and Lee, he was half-tempted to let slip what he'd learn since they'd disbanded, just to see their looks of astonishment and remorse for turning their backs on him. Ranma may not have been the most clever of their little band, but he was certainly smart enough to know how useful his new abilities would be to mischief makers. In the end, though, he decided to stay quiet about it, feeling certain that, in the future, he would be glad he didn't reveal all of his capabilities.

One afternoon, a week before the start of exams, Ranma was in the library revising transfiguration while, next to him, Hermione tested Ron on Astronomy. Harry had left, rather resignedly, ten minutes earlier for an early dinner in the Great Hall before Quidditch practice. They were, therefore, very surprised to see him burst into the library and hurry over to their table, where he dropped quickly into a seat.

"Harry, shouldn't you be – what's wrong?" Hermione asked quickly. Harry looked anxious and a slightly stricken.

"I've got some bad news." he replied quickly. "I just overheard Quirrell talking to someone while I was on my way to the Great Hall. He was begging, then he finally gave in and said 'all right.' When he came out of the classroom, he was very pale and looked like he wanted to cry. He didn't even notice me when he walked by."

"Did you see who he was talking to?" Ranma asked, though he had an idea of what the answer would be.

"No. He'd left by then, and I didn't fancy getting in more trouble, so I didn't follow. But I'd bet twelve Philosopher's Stones that it was Snape."

"Well, Snape's done it then!" Ron said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "He'll have the Stone before dinner."

"There's still Fluffy, though." Hermione reminded him.

"Snape's probably figured out how to get around him. There's bound to be a book on it." Ron said, gesturing at the thousands of books surrounding them. "So what do we do?"

"Go to Dumbledore! That's what we should've done ages ago." Hermione insisted. "If we try anything ourselves, we'll get thrown out for sure."

"Dumbledore should be our last resort." Ranma said calmly. "How will we explain how we know all of this? Who'd believe us?"

"Ranma's right. We've got no proof, at least not any the teachers will believe. Snape can just deny everything, and Dumbledore'll think we're trying to get him sacked." Harry added.

Ron didn't seem convinced. "It wouldn't hurt to do a bit of poking around-"

"No, we've done enough of that." Harry said firmly. "We'll just have to wait and hope the Stone's protections are still good."

Ranma goggled at Harry. "Are you mad? For all we know, Ron could be right, and Snape _will_ get the Stone tonight. What good will waiting do then?" he asked scornfully. "You think Dumbledore's been acting like someone who thinks it'll be an inside job? I don't think he has a clue that one of the people he put up to protecting the stone is trying to steal it. We do, and the least we can do is keep watch on Snape, or even the door to Fluffy."

"What, so we can get caught again and lose even more points?" Harry retorted.

"I agree with Ranma." Ron said quietly. "We might be the only ones who are on to the right person."

Harry glared at Ron, who looked away, ashamed. Ranma turned to Hermione, who looked pensively at the three boys before speaking. "You're both right." she said evenly. "Look, Harry, we wouldn't have to do too much – "

"No. Look what happened last time we tried to get involved in an adult's business. I've had it with that." Harry said, his tone ringing with finality. "I'm keeping my nose out of things that don't concern me, and you'd do well to do the same."

Ranma snorted derisively. "Doesn't concern me? That Stone has concerned me and the rest of you since we accidentally found Fluffy. We were sneaking around before and wasting our time flipping through books trying to find Flamel, but we get caught once and it's suddenly 'not our business'?" Harry did not seem to have an answer to this. "You ever think about what Snape might want it for? We need to stop him from getting it."

"Are you sure you don't just want to get back at him for catching you?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"That'd be a bonus." Ranma admitted airily. "I'd love to be the one to catch that git when he tries to make off with the Stone."

The next morning, Ranma was surprised to see three owls swoop down to him. He marked this apprehensively; the previous week, his mother had learned of his transgression and had, since then, sent several letters that were not pleasant to read. They had apparently been sent from her office, because they were never delivered by Ryouko. With a resigned sigh, he untied each of the letters and wondered how his mother could remain upset for so long, how she managed to be frightening even in a letter, and why she needed three separate letters to yell at him.

Looking them over, however, he was relieved to see that none were addressed in his mother's handwriting. In fact, the first one had no addressee at all. Upon opening it, Ranma found that it was completely blank, save for one word, badly written in kanji:

_**Soon**_

Ranma didn't know what to think of it and, as the owl had already left, he couldn't write a response to the unknown sender. He thought that there might've been a hidden message, but he couldn't think of anyone who would write to him that would do such a thing. Deciding to set it aside to think on later, he moved on to the next letter, whose handwriting he immediately recognized as Ukyo's. Ranma smiled despite himself and he felt his spirits lift a bit as he read the letter. They'd been owling each other consistently, though the distance meant that they only received a letter about once a month. He folded the letter and placed it in his inner robe pocket, resolving to write a nice, long response, before moving on to the final letter.

This one, too, had no addressee, but, inside, Ranma found a note in McGonagall's straight handwriting, and it swept away the good feelings Ukyo's letter had given him.

**Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance Hall**

**Professor M. McGonagall**

Harry simply read it, sighed, and put it in the inner pocket of his robes, and Neville followed suit. Ranma, on the other hand, growled under his breath as he crumpled the parchment fiercely into a tiny

ball. It had been a couple weeks since they'd been caught and, with all of the grief he was catching, Ranma had mostly forgotten about his detentions. The anger he'd had over their punishment, which he'd somehow managed to suppress over the previous weeks, bubbled to the surface once again.

"Whoa. I'm guessing you're still a bit angry about getting caught then." Ron said half-jokingly.

"You think?" Ranma replied, casting a withering glare at the red-head.

"There's no point in being upset. We deserve what we're getting." Harry said resignedly, reaching for the bacon.

"Like hell we do. We were doing the school a favor. We should be swimming in points." Ranma savagely stabbed at his eggs. "But no, Hagrid had to get that stupid egg and rope us into looking after Norbert. Then we try to help him get rid of the stupid thing, and we catch hell for it! But has he raised a

finger to help us? No!"

"Oh, come on, Ranma, what can he do? He can't just stroll up to Dumbledore and admit to having a dra - err, Norbert." Hermione said, trying to reason with him.

"He could try something. He could make up something."

"Are you joking? Hagrid's the worst liar I've ever met." Ron said with a small chuckle.

"But he could have tried. We went out of our way to help him, and we haven't heard a word from him since." This was true. The only saw Hagrid occasionally, and he seemed to be avoiding them instead of coming over to speak, as usual. He was even absent in the morning, when Ranma usually met him during his morning workout. "I mean, if that's the way he's going to be, I can do without his friendship. So far it's gotten us nothing but trouble."

They were all silent a minute. Neville, Ron, Hermione, and Harry all looked taken aback. "You didn't mean that." Harry said quietly. Ranma sighed and pushed his plate away.

"No. No, I didn't." he said guiltily. "But we've only known him a short time, and look what he's gotten us into. We're first years, and he had Norbert around us like it was a little puppy. He didn't even think anything of it. I can't even imagine what it'll be next, but I'm telling you, this won't be the last time we catch grief over Hagrid's little monsters."

They met Filch in the entrance hall. Malfoy was waiting with him, reminding them all that he, too, had gotten detention that night. They followed the crotchety old man out into the dark grounds. The caretaker made sure to walk slowly and berate them, though Ranma easily ignored him. He silently imbued his eyes with magic, thinking it was as good a time as any to make use of his "magic eye" spell. His vision didn't change much, save for the soft glow of his three companions. Unsurprisingly, Filch had no glow at all.

Finally, after what seemed like an unnecessarily long time, they came across someone else, who happened to be Hagrid. The gameskeeper looked rather cross. "Abou' time yeh showed up, I bin waitin' a half hour already." he said grumpily. "All right Harry, Ranma?"

"I shouldn't get so friendly with them, Hagrid. They're here to be punished, after." said Filch coldly.

"That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here."

"I'll be back for them at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them." He grinned nastily at them before turning back towards the castle.

When Filch had disappeared back up the path to the school, Hagrid turned to the four boys. Before he could say anything, Malfoy spoke up, a note of panic at the edge of his voice. "I'm not going into that forest."

"Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts." Hagrid replied fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an now yeh've got ter pay fer it."

Malfoy's face screwed up with indignation. If they'd been looking at him, the others would have seen nearly the same expression on Ranma's face. He couldn't believe the nerve of Hagrid to say that, when they'd gotten caught trying to get rid of _his_ illegal dragon. Ranma's resentment towards the gameskeeper rose to the surface again and it was all he could do not to tell the man off right then and there.

"But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd -"

"- tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts." Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on!"

Malfoy glared furiously at Hagrid, but he didn't seem inclined to leave. He looked away from the gameskeeper and folded his arms across his chest with an indignant huff.

"Right then, since yer so eager ter get goin', why don't you and Neville go wake up Fang in me cabin, he should be sleepin' by the fire. Wait out on in front when yeh get him. Harry, Ranma, can I have a word with yeh?"

Neville looked inquiringly at Ranma, who shrugged, before heading to the cabin. Malfoy sneered at them and follow after him. Ranma looked skeptically at Hagrid and was surprised to see that the giant man wore a conciliatory expression. "I, uh, wanted ter say thanks again, for yer help with Norbert. Yeh helped me out, an' I'm grateful." he said sincerely. "Also, I wanted ter apologize for what happened. It's my fault, an' I shoulda took the responsibility. Been real angry with meself fer lettin' you two do what I shoulda done. Yer sufferin' fer helpin' me now, an' yeh shouldn' be."

Ranma and Harry looked at each other, both very shocked at Hagrid's candid statement. "Anyway, since yeh both helped me out, I tried returnin' the favor. I went to Dumbledore and tol' him the truth. He was disappointed, yeah, but he only docked me pay for a couple o' weeks. Great man, Dumbledore." Hagrid said proudly. "When he found out, he knocked abou' fifty points off yer punishment, an' he convinced Professor McGonagall to only give yeh one detention."

"That's great, Hagrid!" Harry said excitedly

Suddenly, the grounds seemed much brighter than they had been the minute before. Ranma felt the resentment he'd held for Hagrid melt away, and his face split into a smile. "You should've told us this a week ago, Hagrid." Ranma said exasperatedly.

"Oh, right, abou' that. I, er, figured yeh'd be angry at me so, well, I gave yeh some space." Hagrid replied sheepishly. "Anyway, we'd better get on with this detention before it gets too late."

A minute later they were in front of Hagrid's hut, where they were surprised to find Neville and Malfoy struggling with one another on the ground. Neville's legs bore the unmistakable wobble of a Jelly-legs curse, while Malfoy's robes were ripped and his arms flailed. From the looks of things, Neville had managed to roll towards Malfoy and tackle him to the ground and was keeping him pinned down with body weight and arm strength alone. In the few seconds the three of them watched with shock, Malfoy tried beating Neville over the head, only to receive a hard elbow to the chin for his trouble. In one well executed move, Neville used that moment to grab one of Malfoy's arms and apply a simple, but painful, wrist lock.

"All right, all right, break it up." Hagrid bellowed, though he didn't seem particularly hurried to separate the two. Ranma and Harry actually reached them first and pulled them apart.

"Okay Neville, let him go before you break his wrist." Ranma said, trying hard not to laugh. "Harry, can you do the counter-curse?"

He helped Neville to his now fully-functional feet while Harry reluctantly offered a hand up to Malfoy. "Nice work, even with your legs all wonky." Ranma said to him quietly. "You're getting better."

Neville grinned. Malfoy was still on the ground, complaining about his wrist. "Quit yer whinin' an' get up." Hagrid said gruffly. "Unless yeh want me to report yeh to Snape for attackin' another student."

Hagrid didn't wait for Malfoy before continuing. "Right then, now listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks. Follow me."

He led them to the edge of the forest, where his lamp revealed a narrow path among the tall, thick trees that Ranma was somewhat acquainted with from his Marauder days. "Look there, see that shiny silver stuff on the ground? That's unicorn blood. I think one's been hurt bad by summat. Second one in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We're gonna try an' find the poor thing, an we might have to put it out of it's misery."

"And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" Malfoy asked, unable to mask the quivering in his voice.

"There's nothin' in the forest that can hurt you if you're with me or Fang." Hagrid replied dismissively. "Now then, we're gonna split inter two groups and follow the trail in different directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around all night."

"I want Fang." Malfoy said quickly. Ranma snorted derisively. Fang was oversized and had rather large teeth, but he didn't think much of the dog's aggressiveness.

"All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward." said Hagrid with a shrug.

"They have something in common, then." Ranma quipped. Harry and Neville sniggered loudly. He smirked at Malfoy, who glared angrily at him.

"Right," said Hagrid with a cough that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, "so, Ranma, you go on with Draco, since I don' think he an' Neville can keep good company together. Me an' Neville an' Harry'll go one way, an' Draco, Ranma, an' Fang will go the other. If any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? If anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh. Now let's get movin', an' be careful."

The followed the dark path, into the forest and, as they did so, a hush seemed to fall over everything, making their every footfall seem louder than normal. Ranma could tell that he and Hagrid were the only ones that weren't approaching their task with apprehension. Experience had taught him that the forest _could_ be, but was not necessarily, dangerous. Panic and fear were much worse in it's dark confines than most of the creatures that inhabited it. The group reached a fork in the path, at which point he, Malfoy, and Fang veered to the right.

Thinking it would be useful, Ranma reapplied the magic eye spell, opting to exercise it instead of his magic sensing, which was very draining. Fang walked ahead of them, sniffing at the ground and the splashes of blood that glittered eerily in patches of moonlight. Neither boy said anything, and they walked with six feet of space between themselves, with Ranma taking up the rear. He imagined that Malfoy had plenty of snide things to say to him but, considering where they were, the boy probably wanted to make as little noise as possible.

They had been walking down the path twenty minutes or so when Ranma heard Malfoy mutter something. He felt a small bit of magic that told him a spell had been cast. Half a second later, bright, white light illuminated everything within fifteen feet, temporarily blinding him. Blinking hard, he rushed to Malfoy and grabbed his wand hand, which was holding a lit wand.

"Put that out, now!" Ranma snapped.

"Let me go!" Malfoy snarled, taking a step back. "It's pitch black and I can't see a bloody thing!"

"You're going to attract god knows what with that light. Now put it out, or I'll put it out for you." Ranma threatened.

Malfoy seemed to struggle with his choice, which must have been very difficult for someone with his arrogance. Either he followed Ranma's orders or he risked attracting unwelcome creatures. Finally, he snatched his hand away and muttered "_Nox_", extinguishing the light.

"Good. Now if you don't have anything _else_ stupid you want to do, we can move on." Ranma said sarcastically. Not waiting for the boy's response, he turned on his heel and followed after Fang, who had moved ahead a bit.

"_Locomotor Mortis!_" Ranma heard the incantation of the Leg-locker curse and lazily sidestepped it. He was half-impressed that Malfoy could aim in the near dark, and half-amazed that the boy had the courage to actually attack him. The fact that he'd attacked when Ranma's back was turned was the only thing that was _not_ surprising. He turned to face his attacker, easily avoiding two more curses.

"_Draco_, I know I told you you could have a go whenever you wanted," Ranma drawled, giving a reasonable imitation of Malfoy's own arrogant voice. He couldn't see the boy's face, but the spells had stopped flying. "But I didn't think you were thick enough to actually try anything, not after I wiped the floor with those other _Snivellins_."

Fang whined insistently, as if to urge them to keep moving, but Ranma ignored him, instead taking a couple of steps towards Malfoy. "You can't touch me Saotome. You'll be expelled!" Malfoy said shakily. Ranma laughed derisively, knowing it would unnerve Malfoy even more.

"I didn't get expelled then, what makes you think I will now?" Ranma replied mockingly. "Go on then. You tried to curse me, so that means you want to fight, right? Unless you're a little chicken like your mates."

Malfoy seemed to stiffen slightly, but still made no move. Apparently his sense of self-preservation was pretty strong, especially since Ranma wasn't facing away from him. "Here, I'll make it easy for you. Your first shot's free. I won't even move." Again, Malfoy only stood there, his wand pointing impotently at Ranma. Ranma snorted disdainfully. "What a surprise, the little cow-"

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" Malfoy yelled, and a flash of light erupted from his wand, hitting Ranma squarely in the chest. In an instant, he felt magic penetrate his body, it's tendrils snaking through his body. His legs went rigid and snapped together, while his arms straightened and snapped to his sides. In less than a second, every muscle in his body was frozen. By some miracle, he managed to stay standing upright, but only just so. Ranma took a deep breath, concentrated on his ki, and began using it to interrupt the spell. Thankfully, Malfoy was either inexperienced or underpowered, and he was able to undo the spell's effects within ten seconds.

Malfoy, of course, didn't know this as gave a short bark of triumph. "_Lumos_." He sauntered over to where Ranma stood paralyzed, a malicious sneer on his face, and thrust the wand into Ranma's face menacingly. "Now who's laughing, chink?"

Ranma looked at him and smirked. "I am, at that weak spell. And you call _me_ a squib."

"That-that's impossible. You shouldn't be able to move!" Malfoy gibbered, stepping back involuntarily. _"Petrificus Tot-"_

"I don't think so." Ranma said. Before the boy could finish his incantation, Ranma slapped Malfoy's wand away, grabbed his robes, and performed a textbook judo hip toss. As Malfoy descended, Ranma gathered a small bit of magical energy in his palm while concentrating on the effects of the spell Malfoy had used, and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. Just before the boy hit the ground, Ranma stopped his fall with a rough jerk of the robes, watching with great satisfaction as Malfoy's body snapped into the Full-body Bind. Behind him, Fang whined impatiently again.

"All right, all right." Ranma said as he retrieved his wand from his robe pocket. "I'd better get Hagrid over here." Pointing the wand skyward, he sent a stream of red sparks high into the air. Within a five minutes, he could hear thumping and crashing approaching, as if something very large were blundering through the underbrush. In another moment, Hagrid had burst onto the trail, looking slightly frantic.

"Wha's happened?" he asked worriedly. Fang bounded over to him and whined plaintively. "What're yeh doin' to Draco?"

Realizing he was still holding Malfoy by the robes, Ranma let him drop the last few inches onto the ground, hoping that it hurt. "He hexed me, so I showed him why he shouldn't do that." Ranma said with a shrug. "I didn't think we could work together anymore, so I shot red sparks."

Hagrid looked pensively at the two boys. Ranma glanced down and saw Malfoy's eyes flashing furiously in the faint moonlight. "This ain't good, Ranma, yer not s'posed ter be fightin', even if he did try summat."

"All I did was throw him to the ground when he tried to hex me again, honest. He must've hit himself with the hex or something." Hagrid seemed relieved at this and Harry, again, was glad his lying skills were so well honed.

Hagrid looked relieved. "Well, alrigh' then, d'yeh know the counter spell?"

Ranma shook his head. "But his spells are pretty weak anyway. The other one he tried on me wore off in ten seconds. It'll probably wear off."

Hagrid didn't seem to care to wait. "Yeh sure yeh don't know summat what can sort him out?"

"I'll try, but I'm no good with a wand." Ranma said, kneeling beside Malfoy. He pulled out his wand and made a show of waving it, all the while enjoying the look of mixed anger and uncertainty in Malfoy's eyes. "Pathetic, _Draco_." he muttered just loud enough for the boy to hear. "Not only are you so stupid that you hit yourself with your own spell, you're also weak enough to actually be affected by that pathetic excuse for a spell."

With a rough jab on the boy's shoulder, he released the bind. Malfoy sprang up and away from Ranma, snatching up his wand, which he'd dropped when Ranma had petrified him. Malfoy saw Hagrid, and his eyes seemed to light up with malicious intent. "Saotome hit me." he said quickly.

"Rubbish, he says yer hit yerself with that spell." Hagrid replied dismissively.

"It's a lie, only an idiot would hit himself with a spell." Malfoy retorted. "He started the entire thing!"

"Don't try to cover up the fact that you're the idiot that hexed himself." Ranma scoffed. "And I'm not the one that started a fight with Neville earlier either."

"Settle down, both o' yeh." Hagrid said sharply. "We're supposed to be lookin' for a hurt unicorn and yer both wastin' time fightin'. Now there's no witnesses, so I'm willin' ter forget all abou' this, jus' like with Draco an' Neville earlier, but if there's anymore trouble, we go straight ter yer heads of house. Got it?"

Ranma nodded his assent immediately. Malfoy seemed to be looking for a way around it but eventually gave in. "All right then, follow me."

They followed Hagrid down the impromptu path he'd cut running to them. In ten minutes, they finally reached the forest path where Neville and Harry were waiting. The two boys seemed relieved to see them, and Ranma didn't blame them. To the uninitiated, the Forbidden Forest could be a very intimidating place. "We'll be lucky to catch anything now, with the racket you two were making." Hagrid said irritably once they'd all gathered around. Ranma rolled his eyes, knowing Hagrid had made far more noise running to get to them. "We're changing groups. Malfoy, since yeh can't seem ter function without a babysitter, yer with me an' Neville. Ranma, you and take Fang an' go back to where you were on the main path. Remember, red for trouble, green if yeh find somethin'."

Ten minutes later, Ranma and Harry were back on the main path. They'd walked quietly back through Hagrid's path, more so because Harry seemed inclined to be quiet than to avoid any real danger. Once they were back on the main path, though, he seemed to relax a bit, and finally asked Ranma the question he'd been thinking of since they'd left. "So who sent up the sparks?" he whispered.

"I did." Ranma replied, watching Fang as he sniffed around ahead of them.

"_You_ did? Why?"

"Malfoy did something stupid, I called him on it, then he did something even more stupid."

Harry didn't say anything for a minute. "He – no way, he couldn't be that thick. He tried to curse you?" he asked incredulously.

"He _did_ curse me." Ranma said. Harry gasped. "Well, to be fair, I did stand still and tell him he could have a free shot. He tried the Full Body Bind, but it was weak and I broke out of it. Then I beat the stuffing out of him."

Harry gasped again. "You didn't! You'll be expelled for sure!"

"Just joking, mate." Ranma said with a chuckle. "The stupid prat cursed himself when I threw him down. Hagrid made us promise to forget about it, otherwise Snape and McGonagall will find out."

They were silent a few more minutes, but Harry couldn't resist asking his next question. "So what did he look like when you threw him?" he asked mischievously.

"Well," Ranma replied thoughtfully. "I'd say he looked surprised to be flying through the air."

They walked on in silence for another twenty minutes. By then, they had reached a part of the forest that even Ranma had not seen before. The trees were so thick that Ranma felt boxed in, and the path was almost non-existent. Everywhere they looked, the blood was more prevalent than ever, as if the creature had been in its death throes nearby. He didn't know if it was the blood or the enclosing forest, but he began to feel apprehensive. Ranma's instincts were almost yelling at him to prepare to fight or run, and he'd learned long ago that this feeling was right nearly all the time. Trying to ignore the feeling of foreboding that was beginning to spread from his stomach, he kept his eyes peeled for anything magical at all, intently searching for any sign of trouble.

Harry, however, did not seem to notice anything, and had continued walking. They came upon a clearing and a sight that, for a moment, drove thoughts of danger from Ranma's mind. A unicorn lay in the middle of the clearing, it's beautiful white form gleaming ethereally in the moonlight. It's long, slender legs were splayed haphazardly beneath and they could see a large, gaping wound trickling silver blood onto the ground.

Ranma did not know how long he stood there, staring at the terrible scene, before he heard Harry cry out in pain and fall to the ground. He was laying in the clearing, clutching his forehead and scrabbling backwards, trying to escape. A hooded figure stalked forward, it's body shrouded in shadow. Silver blood gleamed on its chest, as if it had been drinking from the unicorn's corpse. It drew out a wand and pointed it threateningly at Harry.

"Harry!" Before he'd even thought about it, Ranma's body had launched itself into the clearing, the ki and magic coursing madly to propel him between his friend and the hooded figure in one great leap. The move surprised him and, apparently, his adversary, who stopped abruptly. They stared at one another for a moment, and in that time, Ranma learned all he needed to know about what he was facing. Whoever it was, for it was surely a wizard if it carried a wand, exuded raw magical energy, far more than he'd ever detected on anyone. It felt dark and cold and full of hate and, to his magical eye, shone like the midday sun. At the same time, he felt as if something were prodding his own energy and was certain that he was being evaluated as well.

"Out of the way, child." commanded a high, cold voice. "And I shall spare your life."

Ranma felt the force of its magic behind the words and shivered despite himself, but he held his ground. "No." he replied, putting the force of his own magic behind it.

The figure trembled slightly, and this time it sounded angry. "Very well. You will pay the price for your defiance." it said. "Kill him."

There was no warning, save for a split second when he felt the magic build up before erupting from the wand. Ranma's body moved automatically, ducking the jet of green light and dashing forward. Just as he reached his foe, he felt another spell building up. Thinking quickly, he concentrated ki into his left foot, jumped, and lashed out the figure's wand arm. Just as he'd practiced so many times before, Ranma's ki interrupted the magic on contact, shattering it into a thousand ethereal pieces. The arm was not magically protected, however, and the force of his kick, combined with the trauma of interrupting the spell, shattered the bones sickeningly. The figure howled in pain, it's voice sounding different than when it had been speaking. Ranma ignored this, intent on finishing his opponent off. He got so far as jumping to kick the hooded figure before he felt a monstrous surge of magic energy that made him shut his eyes. An invisible hand seemed to grab him in mid-air and throw him savagely across the clearing. Ranma rolled as he hit the ground and shot up, prepared to fight, but saw that, besides Harry and the dead unicorn, the clearing was now empty.

Walking over to where Harry lay, Ranma heard the thundering of hooves, which made him jump slightly and crouch defensively. A palomino centaur with white hair galloped into the clearing, looking alarmed. He turned about, as if looking for something. Spotting them, he cantered over and looked them over carefully. "Are you both all right?" he asked.

Ranma nodded, noting how quickly the centaur's face had flowed from alarmed to concerned and then to completely neutral. Harry nodded as well. "What happened to that...person?" Ranma asked, looking out towards the edge of the clearing.

"They have fled." the centaur replied blithely.

"Yeah, I noticed. Where did they go?"

"Into the forest."

Harry spoke up quickly, cutting off Ranma before he could snap at the centaur. "What – no – _who_ was that?"

The centaur did not respond immediately. Instead, he looked at Harry , his gaze lingering on the scar on his forehead. Following his gaze, Ranma gasped to see that it was red and irritated almost to the point of bleeding. "You are the Potter boy." the centaur said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time, especially for you. I believe I can accommodate the both of you, and riding would be faster. I am Firenze, by the way."

They climbed onto Firenze's back, Harry first. Ranma had just settled into a stable position when the sound of hooves thundered from the other side of the clearing. Two more centaurs galloped into the clearing, looking as if they'd been running full out for a mile. The expressions on their faces were almost comical in their indignation and, given a different situation, Ranma might have laughed at them.

"Firenze!" Thundered one of them angrily. He was wild-looking, with black hair and and a black body. "What are you doing? You carry humans like some common mule! Where is your pride?"

"Do you know who this is? He is Harry Potter. The sooner he leaves the forest, the better." Firenze replied, as neutral as before.

"What have you been telling him?" the black centaur growled. "We are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have you not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?"

The other centaur, whose hair and beard were red and body was palomino, pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best." he said gloomily.

"For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!"

Firenze reared up so suddenly that, were it not for his leg strength, Ranma would have toppled off the centaur's back. "Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze yelled angrily, kicking his legs out. "Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must."

With no further words or warning, Firenze spun around and plunged into the forest while Ranma and Harry held on as best as they could. They galloped on for a short while, putting distance between themselves and the clearing. Finally, when they slowed down, Harry asked why Bane, the black centaur, had been so angry. Firenze, however, did not seem to hear him, and they walked on in silence for a while longer before Ranma became impatient.

"Did you hear Harry? He asked – "

"I heard him perfectly well." Firenze stopped suddenly. Though the centaur didn't say as much, Ranma gathered that this was the end of their ride, and he hopped off, followed by Harry. Instead of turning back, the centaur considered them for a moment. "You should summon Hagrid."

"Oh, right." Ranma pulled out his wand and, again, a shower of red sparks lit the night sky. They stood in silence for several minutes before Firenze suddenly spoke again.

"Do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" he asked.

Harry shook his head. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."

Ranma nodded, remembering something he'd read in one of his mother's potions books. "It's used in some potions, I think, but they're very dark and illegal."

Firenze nodded once at them. "That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn. Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

This new information churned in Ranma's head, and he was reminded of the magical protection dragons enjoyed. Even if they weren't magically tough, unicorns were just as magically protected, if not more so, and it was devastating, to say the least. But this revelation begged the question...

"Who'd be that desperate?" asked Harry, more to himself than anyone else. "I mean, if you're going to be cursed forever, wouldn't death be better?"

"It is, unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else," said Firenze, looking down at both of them significantly. "Something that will bring you back to full strength and power – something that will mean you can never die. "

It took only a second for Firenze's words to fully register and another before his meaning became fully clear. "The Elixir of Life..." Ranma exhaled slowly. His mind raced furiously as everything he knew about the Philosopher's Stone whipped through his head, trying to establish a pattern. He hardly noticed that Firenze had nodded at him, a flicker of approval passing over his face.

"But that doesn't make sense." Harry insisted. "Who – "

"Harry Potter, can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?" Firenze asked, staring intently at Harry, as if willing him to understand.

The words seemed to hit Harry like a ton of bricks. Ranma watched, stunned, as his friend paled and ran his fingers over the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. "Do you mean that was _Vol_- "

A familiar sound of thundering footsteps interrupted him. "Harry! Ranma! What happened? Are yeh all right?" Hagrid shouted as he bounded up the path.

"We're fine, Hagrid." Ranma said reassuringly. "We found the unicorn. It's in a clearing a hundred yards back that way."

Hagrid looked them over before turning to Firenze. "Much obliged, Firenze." he said, shaking the centaur's hand before hurrying off to examine the unicorn.

Firenze watched him go before turning back to them. "This is where I leave you. You are safe now." He said, turning around to leave. "The planets have been read wrongly before, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times. Good luck, Harry Potter."

After Firenze disappeared into the forest, Hagrid escorted them back out of the forest, muttering grimly to himself the entire way. He wasn't the only person that was preoccupied. Harry remained silent, shivering slightly despite the warmth of the evening. Ranma was still trying to work through Firenze's cryptic hint, but could not fathom who Firenze could be talking about. Harry, however, seemed to have made the connection, but no matter how many times Ranma tried to ask him about it, he remained silent.

They stopped at Hagrid's hut, where Neville, Malfoy, and Fang were waiting. Hagrid walked them back to the castle, where he sent the three Gryffindors off on their own while he escorted Malfoy down to the dungeons. "What happened?" whispered Neville as they climbed the marble staircase.

"Something – someone was drinking the unicorn's blood. It tried to attack us, but I think I scared it off." Ranma replied distractedly. Neville shivered involuntarily and didn't ask anything else.

Ron and Hermione were in the common room, both fast asleep, and somehow Hermione had ended up with her head resting on Ron's shoulder. For a moment, Ranma felt an inexplicable rage boil up in the pit of his stomach but, when Harry shook the two awake and they shot away from each other, looking embarrassed, the feeling subsided. He shook his head, remembering what they had just experienced, while Harry proceeded to tell their groggy friends about everything. As he wound down, Harry drew in a deep breath and answered the very question that Ranma had asked repeatedly since Firenze had departed.

"It was Voldemort." he said, his voice cracking. "It had to be. Snape's not after the Stone for gold, he's trying to bring Voldemort back to full power!"

Ron and Hermione both flinched as if a gun had gone off. They looked as pale and frightened as Harry did, perhaps even more so. Only when he looked down at his shaking hands did Ranma realized that, like them, he was afraid. He hadn't been afraid, truly afraid, of anything for many years. Not an hour earlier, he had stood between the most terrible dark wizard of the last century and Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived. He had defied and attacked Lord Voldemort and had felt is power first hand. Had he known the danger he was in, how close to death he'd come...Ranma shook his head, clearing away that line of speculation. Ranma Saotome never backed down and never let fear get in the way of doing what needed to be done. He knew, deep down, that he'd have done the same thing anyway, Voldemort or no Voldemort.

"_Will you stop saying the name!_" Ron hissed at Harry. Harry ignored his friend and continued to talk feverishly about the centaurs, Voldemort, Snape, and the Stone.

"Harry, everyone says that Dumbledore is the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of. With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you." Hermione said reassuringly, sounding very much as if she were trying to get the conversation on a track she could manage.

Ranma shook his head and sighed shakily. "So, you're fine with hoping Dumbledore never leaves the castle, eh? Because as soon as he's gone, Snape'll be after the Stone. He might even let Voldemort in, and then what?" he said in an unusually small voice. They all looked at him worriedly. "I fought him tonight. It was only ten seconds, but that's all I needed to know he really powerful, and he's not even at full strength!"

There was no response, as all three of his friends were gaping at him, their eyes wide with horror. "You-you fought He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Hermione stammered.

"I had to, he was trying to hurt Harry." Ranma replied more calmly than he felt. "He's probably hurting now too, since I broke his arm, but I don't think I'll get a chance to do that again. His magic's too powerful, and he knows I'm no pushover."

"Why would you _want_ to try it again?" Ron asked incredulously. "Don't you know what happened to people who defied him?"

"He killed them. I guess he'll try to do that to me too." Ranma said tonelessly, thinking back to what Voldemort had said. He decided against mentioning that Voldemort had already decided to kill him anyway, as his friends were already in a right state as it was. "But I'll do it again if I have to. Voldemort _can't_ be allowed to regain full strength."

"Ranma's right." Harry said, speaking up finally. "But I just don't know what we can do."

It was some time before they all headed off to bed. They were all very anxious, especially after Ranma explained, in more detail, what had happened between him and Voldemort when Harry had fallen. They talked until they were hoarse, trying to find some solution or plan that made sense and was safe, but, in the end, they'd gotten no further than when they started. Around dawn, they finally left the common room, each lost in their own thoughts. Ranma threw himself onto his bedroll when they entered their dormitory. A gasp from Harry brought him back to his feet, and he rushed over to his bed.

"Look." Harry whispered, pointing at his bed. There, folded neatly underneath a piece of parchment, was Harry's invisibility cloak, which they hadn't seen since leaving it at the top of the Astronomy tower two weeks prior. Harry picked up the parchment, which read, in handwriting that Ranma found vaguely familiar:

**Just in case.**

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 14: Through The Trapdoor**

There are only 2 chapters remaining in Book 1...

Author's Notes:

Another chapter down, two to go. Apologies for the lateness, hopefully you think it was worth the wait. The same excuses as always prevented a more timely release. Besides, I had a really hard time writing the argument and breakup of the Marauders. I swear I spent more time working that bit than any other part of the chapter, and I'm _still_ not satisfied with it. It's easily the worst bit of original writing in the story so far, but I had to have that part for the rest of the chapter to make sense. Feel free to criticize me on that part; trust me, I've done my fair share of it already. Apologies to everyone who thinks I'm going too close to canon, but hopefully I added or changed enough so that it's interesting to read.

A few other things: Check out my Favorite Stories some time to see what stories are distracting me away from writing. They're all page-turners (or is that page-scrollers...), though my personal favorites are The Power of Time, Mastermind Hunters, Stranger in an Unholy Land, and Dimension Hopping for Beginners. The authors of those stories are at the top of their game. On a related note, if anyone knows any decent Harry/Luna fics, I'd be grateful if you could PM a link to me. There's not nearly enough love for that most strange of 'ships, and if I weren't so involved in this story, I'd be working to rectify the problem. Finally, if there are any questions about the story that you'd actually like answered, I encourage you to check out the forum I created for the story. I answer what I can that doesn't directly give away the plot. I also post the status of chapters there.

As usual, huge thanks go to Kim, whose patience seems to know no bounds. I've been prattling on about this story and doing all seven books since last September, and she still manages to listen and stay interested. Thanks to everyone reviewing; I'm beginning to get the impression that this story may be marginally well-received :-D Everyone who has me on faves and C2s, you rock. Everyone helping to drive up my hit count, thanks. Please submit a review if the feeling hits you, I welcome the feedback. See you all in a month!


	14. Through the Trapdoor

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: Please note that this chapter contains and is inspired by portions of Chapter 16 and 17 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits). If you're keeping score, it has the same title as well.

**Chapter 14: Through the Trapdoor**

"Quills down, please." Professor Binns called out over the the sound of quills scratching on parchment. As he dotted the last period on his parchment, Ranma wondered how the History of Magic professor managed to drone on even with the shortest of sentences. He rolled up the exam paper and flashed a grin at Hermione, who, despite the random seating arrangements, ended up sitting the exam right next to him. Ranma could see that she was struggling not to look too pleased with herself. Normally after an exam, Hermione would act as if she'd answered every question incorrectly. Her failing attempt to look modest was probably a good sign that he'd done well, especially as he'd spent the previous months revising with her.

"That wasn't too bad." Ranma said, rising and following her to the Binns' desk, where they deposited their exam papers. "How do you think you did?"

"You know she got perfect marks, don't be thick." Ron said jovially, slapping Ranma on the shoulder as he and Harry joined them.

"Well, it _was_ much easier than I thought it'd be." Hermione admitted. "I may have over-studied a bit..."

"Right, and Hagrid may be just a bit over-grown." Ron quipped. Harry and Ranma sniggered good-naturedly while Hermione rolled her eyes. "Anyway, let's skip the review of the test this time, Hermione. It's far too nice outside to revise _after_ the exam, and I'll probably be sick if I have to think about another goblin rebellion before September."

"Here, here!" Harry and Ranma said quickly. Hermione, who was known to take great pleasure in going over test papers immediately after an exam, looked both annoyed and disappointed.

"Oh, all right." she acquiesced with a huff. "I guess it won't hurt to take a break."

They set off into the castle grounds, the sounds of other students, who'd already finished their exams, drifting through the warm summer air. Their wanderings brought them to the lake, where they threw themselves down beneath a large, shady tree. About fifty yards down the lake shore, the twins and Lee were playing with the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows and seemed to enjoy the attention. Ranma narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening, and muttered something that ended with the word "gits". Harry and Hermione raised their eyebrows but Ron seemed slightly uncomfortable.

"We can move, if you want." he said casually to Ranma.

"No, I'm fine." Ranma said with a shake of his head. He made a great show of repositioning himself so that his back was to his former friends.

"Right. So no more revising until next term." Ron said quickly. "Merlin knows we've done enough of it."

"Don't be silly, Ron, we've got revising to do over summer vacation, plus homework." Hermione remarked.

"Don't remind me." Ron replied, flopping down on the ground. "Honestly, Hermione, you..."

Ranma let the conversation slip by him, knowing that Ron and Hermione would probably go back and forth for a while. A week ago, he might have jumped in to keep the two from getting out of hand with their bickering, but, since his detention in the forest, Ranma had found his spare moments occupied by thoughts of Voldemort. Truth be told, after his first confrontation with the Dark Lord, he was worried and, he hesitated to say, afraid. Though Ranma had gotten the better of him, Voldemort's power had been frightening and he had incredible control over it. From what Firenze had said, though, Voldemort wasn't even at full strength! The very idea of a more powerful Voldemort was almost unthinkable.

If he hadn't been concentrating on his exams, Ranma may well have worried himself sick. The thought of the Dark Lord storming into the castle for him had Ranma on his guard, almost to the point of paranoia. He had taken to using a few ninjutsu surveillance techniques as well as his magical sight at all times and had focused all his training time on trying (with mixed results) to effectively use his wandless magic. If Voldemort was coming for him, Ranma was determined to be ready.

The only person who seemed as concerned about Voldemort was Harry, being the only other person who had seen him. Ron and Hermione, while definitely frightened at the prospect of a revived Dark Lord, took great comfort in knowing that, every time they checked, Fluffy was still guarding the third floor corridor.

Fortunately for Ranma, he worked very well under pressure and he was certain that his exams had gone swimmingly. This was true even of the practical portions, much to the surprise of everyone but Ranma. He'd taken extra special care to practice disguising his wandless spellcasting (and it helped that his teachers allowed him to pick up or touch the item to be charmed or transfigured). Potions had been particularly easy and he had finished first with a picture perfect Forgetfullness potion, despite Snape's attempts to sabotage his efforts. Harry and Ron didn't seem to do as well, though it probably didn't help that Harry was plagued by bad dreams that were keeping him up at night. In all, it had been a stressful week and, until school let out the following week, Ranma knew he would not be able to relax.

Ranma suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, hearing his name called. He looked up at Ron. "What?"

Ron sighed, shaking his head while rolling his eyes. "I said you could look more cheerful. You too, Harry. Nothing to worry about till we get the results, right?"

"You think I'm worried about the exams? Are you daft?" Ranma asked incredulously. "There's still that little thing about Snape trying to restore Voldemort to power."

Ron flinched badly. "Don't say the-"

"Gah!" Harry burst out suddenly, cutting Ron off. He was angrily scrubbing his forehead as if he were trying to erase the lighting-bolt scar. His face was darkened with frustration. "I wish I knew what this means! My scar keeps hurting. It's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madame Pomfrey." Hermione said, almost automatically, as she'd been wont to do since Harry had started complaining about the pains.

"I'm not ill." Harry replied dismissively. "I think it's a warning...it means danger is coming..."

"Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone is safe as long as Dumbledore's around." Ron said, trying to sound reassuring, though he didn't seem all that confident about his statement.

"The Stone might be safe, but what about us?" Ranma asked pointedly. "If there's one thing I've learned, Harry, it's to trust your instincts. It's a curse scar, right? Maybe that's its power, some kind of danger sense."

"I don't know. I've never read about any curse scars with that sort of power." said Hermione.

"You-you've read about curse scars?"

"After I met Harry, yes. I was curious." Hermione replied airily. "Of course, just because I haven't read about it doesn't mean it can't detect danger, the study of cursed scars is still very new."

"But, hold on, Snape's just after the Stone, right? Why would you get a danger sign if it's the Stone he's after?" Ron replied, trying to get the conversation back on a track he could handle.

"C'mon, Ron, use your head." Ranma replied. "Snape gets the Stone and Voldemort will come back. Who's the first person you think he'll go after?"

Both Ron and Hermione flinched at the name, and even Harry seemed slightly bothered. Ron shook his head stubbornly. "Snape can't know how to get past Fluffy, or he'd have gone after the Stone by now. As long as Fluffy's still there, he won't get near, and there's no way Hagrid will let that secret slip. Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."

Ranma looked at him skeptically, recalling all the things Hagrid "shouldn'ta told" them during the year. "Maybe. Or maybe Snape doesn't need Hagrid's help since he's got Voldemort on his side." Ranma said, casting significant looks at them.

"M-maybe we should tell Professor Dumbledore about it." Hermione said uncertainly. "He's bound to know-"

But what Dumbledore was bound to know, they didn't hear, because Harry suddenly jumped to his feet, startling them. He'd gone pale and looked as if he'd just heard the worst news in his life. Without a word, he turned and started up the hill towards the castle.

"Where're you going?" Ron asked, scrambling to his feet.

"I've just thought of something." Harry said over his shoulder. Ranma easily caught up with him and Ron and Hermione trailed close behind. "We've got to go see Hagrid."

"Why?" panted Hermione.

"Because I think he's already let slip how to get past Fluffy." he replied gravely.

The effect of his words was immediate. Ranma felt his leg seize up, stopping him mid-stride. His brain churned frantically, almost in a panic, before a few calming breaths and rational thoughts cleared his head. Though he'd half-seriously thought this anyway, he hadn't voiced his thoughts because, honestly, Ron's assessment of Hagrid's reliability was pretty solid, especially when it came to Dumbledore. But hearing Harry say it, and him being so serious about it, jarred Ranma quite a bit.

"Harry, that's ridiculous." Hermione said, though her faith in this assertion seemed half-hearted. Like Ranma, she and Ron had also stopped, having been rather stunned by Harry's statement.

"Is it really? Then how do you explain Norbert?" Harry asked, turning and walking back to them.

Ron looked confused. "What's that ruddy dragon got to do with this?" he asked.

"_Everything_. Think about it. Hagrid wanted a dragon more than anything, and suddenly he meets someone with an illegal egg in his pocket, ready to practically give it away." Harry said, his brow furrowed.. "How many people carry around illegal eggs like that and just tell a complete stranger about it?"

Suddenly, something clicked in Ranma's mind, and he saw what Harry was getting at. Hermione also seemed to be on the same page, but Ron remained skeptical. "Well, it's just lucky they found Hagrid, he's the only person who'd want a dragon egg, I reckon." Ron said with a shrug.

"It wasn't luck," Ranma said, shaking his head. "it was planned."

"Of course, Snape would know about about Hagrid's thing for dragons since he's worked here so long." Hermione added, her eyes widening. "So he tried bribing Hagrid-"

"Not bribing, Hagrid's too loyal for that. More likely to loosen his lips. You know how he goes on when talking about magical creatures." Ranma replied.

"But...no, I can't believe it." Ron said stubbornly. "He'd never let something important like that slip, not if Dumbledore asked him to keep it secret."

"Just like he didn't let important things slip to us?" Harry said quietly. "We've got to ask him."

They found Hagrid in front of his hut, sitting in an armchair with his sleeves rolled up, shelling peas. He smiled on seeing them. "Hullo. Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?"

"No thanks, we're in a hurry." Harry replied. "Hagrid, can I ask you something about the night you won Norbert?"

"I guess so. What do yeh want ter know?" he said, wiping his hands on his shirt.

"What did the stranger you won him from look like?"

Hagrid looked thoughtful a moment before shrugging his massive shoulders. "Dunno, he wouldn't take his cloak off." He raised his eyebrows at the looks of alarm on their faces. "It's not unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folks down in the Hog's Head – that's the pub down in the village. Mighta been a dragon dealer, mightn' he?"

"Hagrid," Ranma breathed shakily, his mind reeling. He couldn't believe that the gamekeeper could be so naive. "There _aren't any_ dragon dealers. It's _illegal_."

"Well not everywhere." Hagrid replied airily.

"Hagrid, what did you talk to him about?" Harry said quickly, cutting off a sarcastic remark from Ranma. "Did you mention Hogwarts at all?"

"It mighta come up." He said with a frown. "I told him I was gamekeeper, an' he asked about the sorta creatures I look after-"

"Did he ask about Fluffy?" asked Hermione.

Hagrid looked sharply at her. "No, he didn't." he said. "But I mighta mentioned 'im..."

Ranma groaned loudly. "Calm down, calm down, it wasn't nothin'," Hagrid said reassuringly. "He just wanted to know that I could take care of a dragon, an' I told a dragon'd be easy after Fluffy."

Harry cast worried looks at them before asking his next question. "Did he seem particularly interested in Fluffy?" He sounded like he was fighting a losing battle to remain calm.

"Well, yeah, how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece of cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off to sleep-" The words were no sooner out of his mouth before a look of horror flashed across his face. "I shouldn'ta told yeh that! Forget I told yeh!"

But neither Ranma nor any of the others were listening. They'd all sprung to their feet and begun walking as fast as they could back up to the castle. They didn't stop until they reached the entrance hall, slightly out of breath and casting worried looks at one another.

"We've got to go to Dumbledore." said Harry. "Hagrid told the stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak – it must've been easy once he got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him."

"Calm down, Harry, you're rambling." Ranma said seriously. "Let's just go find Dumbledore, he needs to know about this."

"Yeah." agreed Ron, a worried look on his face. "Where's his office?"

Harry blinked a few times, a blank look on his face. "I, er, I don't know." he admitted. "I've never been there."

"Oh. All right then, we'll just have to -" Ranma began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.

"What are you four doing in here?" It was Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stack of books. Ranma groaned inwardly, wondering why she, of all people, had to question them. Even though almost two months had passed, he still hadn't gotten past the harsh punishment she'd handed out.

"We want to see Professor Dumbledore." Hermione said.

"See Professor Dumbledore?" McGonagall eyed them suspiciously. "Why?"

"It's sort of secret." Harry said. Ranma knew immediately that this was the wrong thing to say because McGonagall's eyebrows raised and her nostrils flared.

"Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago. He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once." She said coldly.

"He's _gone_?" said Harry, the panic rising in his voice. "_Now_?"

"Professor Dumbledore is a very important wizard, and he has more important things to do than listen to the secrets of schoolchildren."

"Yeah, well I bet he'll want to hear what we have to say about the Philosopher's Stone." Ranma retorted, feeling nettled by McGonagall's dismissive tone.

Professor McGonagall was so shocked by this statement that the books in her arms tumbled to the floor. She didn't bother picking them up. Instead, she fixed her gaze on Ranma, who returned the look stubbornly. "What did you-"

"Professor, please, we have to see Professor Dumbledore." Harry said quickly. "We think – we know - that Sn - that someone's going to try to steal the Philosopher's Stone."

She looked both shocked and suspicious, and it took her a moment before she responded. "Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow." she said, dismissive again. "I don't know how you found out, but rest assured that the Stone is safe. It's too well protected for anyone to steal."

Ranma snorted derisively, earning him a reprimanding glare that he ignored. "That's what _you_ think." he said.

"What _I _think, Saotome, is far more precise than what _you _think, seeing as I helped protect the Stone." she snapped, her nostrils flaring again.

"Yeah, and we've known that for months too. We're only first-years, and we've known almost everything about the Stone for months, and that doesn't make you worried?" he threw back. "Professor, the Stone's in danger, you have to believe us!"

"Enough! Unlike you, Saotome, I actually _do_ know what I'm talking about, and there is no danger to the Stone." she said with such finality that Ranma knew there was no point to arguing. She took a long, calming breath before speaking again. "Now, I suggest you four go back outside and enjoy the sunshine."

They pretended to follow her advice but, once she was out of range, they stopped. Harry looked around before speaking. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight." he said. "He's found out everything he needs, and now-"

"Harry, shut up." Ranma hissed suddenly.

"What?" The other three looked stunned, so he jerked his thumb at a nearby exit from the hall.

"Someone's around the corner." he said quietly. "They're trying to listen in."

For a few moments, it seemed Ranma was mistaken, but he could still feel the person's magical energy lurking around the corner. Then, the last person any of them wanted to see walked around the corner. It was Snape, walking so quietly that, had they continued talking, none of them would have heard him approach. The four of them watched him approach and, for a second, he looked surprised that they'd noticed him.

"Good afternoon." he said in quite possibly the least friendly way imaginable. They stared at him, dislike and suspicion apparent on their faces. "You shouldn't be inside on a day like this." A twisted, almost malicious smile played across his face.

"We were-" Harry began, but Snape cut him off.

"You want to be more careful." said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"

Ranma's eyes narrowed at the implication. "Can we go now?" he bit out, glaring at the man.

Snape's face darkened. "Yes, but be warned – any more nighttime wanderings and I'll personally make sure you're all expelled." Without another word, he turned on his heel and headed towards the staff room.

They were quiet until they'd stepped outside the front door. Harry turned to them, his words carrying a sense of urgency and action that Ranma had never heard in his voice before. "All right, we've got to keep an eye on him. He's in the staff room, so you'd better go do that, Hermione."

"Why me?"

"No one's going to question you waiting outside." said Ranma.

"Yeah, you can pretend you're waiting for Professor Flitwick." Ron added. He put on a high voice. "Oh Professor Flitwick, I think I got question fourteen _b_ wrong..."

"Oh, shut up." Hermione snapped.

"Ron, this is no time for joking around." Harry looked at Hermione. "Just keep an eye on him, all right?"

Hermione nodded and hurried back into the castle. He turned back Ron and Ranma. "While she does that, we'll go watch the third floor corridor."

"You two go ahead. I need to get something from the Tower that will help us keep track of Snape." Ranma said, thinking of a certain map. "I'll meet you there."

Harry and Ron looked inquiringly at him, but nodded before heading up the marble staircase. Ranma took the stairs up to Gryffindor Tower three at a time, barely pausing to give the Fat Lady the password, and sprinted through the empty common room. He stopped on the fifth landing of the spiral staircase and, detecting no magical auras, entered the room. He headed straight over to the twins' beds, debating where to start looking for the Marauders' Map.

During the months he'd been their friend, Ranma had seen just how paranoid the twins could be about the safety of the Marauders' Map. This was why he was sure the Map was in the room; they never risked getting caught with it if they weren't going to actually use it, so on a day like this, they'd probably have stashed it away in their belongings. Where, exactly, was a mystery, because he'd never seen them put it in the same place twice. There was even a better than average chance that they'd given it to Lee for safekeeping, since he was much less likely to have his things searched for contraband. Then there were also detection charms he had to worry about, which the twins had learned to apply to their belongings. The twins were very clever and he knew he'd have to be careful while rifling through their things. With this in mind, Ranma strengthened his magical sight, opened Fred's trunk with a wandless spell similar to _Alohamora, _and began carefully sifting through it.

Ten minutes later, he finally found it nestled inconspicuously amongst the cast off wrappers of Zonko's joke products. Ranma interrupted the spells he found surrounding it and had just stood to leave when the door to the room burst open. Fred, George, and Lee stood there, chests heaving, glaring at him. They looked behind him to George's still open trunk and back to the map in his hands. It could not have been clearer that they'd divined what had transpired and were angry. "I need this." Ranma said simply, as if this were the only explanation needed.

"Well you can't bloody well have it, not after we caught you trying to steal it!" George countered angrily.

"You ran all the way up here. How'd you know I was here?" asked Ranma, trying to stall for time.

"Detection charms, you know that." Fred responded. "But you didn't know that these ones go off if you dispel them too."

"Thought it might be a good idea, just in case." added Lee. "Though _you_ shouldn't've been able to dispel them."

"Yeah, I'm full of surprises." Ranma said brazenly, though he was kicking himself mentally. "Well, like I said, I need this right now. Don't get your knickers in a twist, I'll bring it back when I'm done with it."

"No, you won't, because you're not leaving this room with it." said Fred coldly, his hand reaching into his robe slowly. George and Lee followed his example.

Ranma massaged his temple in frustration. "Look, you idiots, I need this for something more important than our stupid fight or your pranks. I'm not asking you, I'm _telling_ you that I'm taking this map." he growled. "Now get out of the way, and don't try anything stupid, or I'll have to hurt you."

The three boys looked slightly taken aback, but then hardened their expressions. Without a word, they spread out around Ranma, hands in their robes and on their wands. "Go ahead, Ranma, have a go at us." said Lee, finally pulling out his wand and pointing it at him. "But you can't get us all at once, and how long do you think it'll take one of us to transfigures something into a cat?"

At these words, Ranma felt like a block of ice had dropped into his stomach, and his chest felt constricted with dread. The other three Marauders were near the top of their class in transfiguration, according to their grades, but he knew that they were already doing fourth year work in private. This was no bluff; even at his fastest, one of them could easily transfigure a cat before he'd disarmed the other two. They had him cornered, and he certainly couldn't afford to be running around the castle acting like a cat, not now.

"Fine," Ranma huffed, throwing the map onto George's trunk. He glared at them angrily. "I guess I should've known you'd go for the low blow." At the door, he turned back to them, ignoring the wands that were still pointed in his direction. "I wasn't lying. Tomorrow, you're going to wish you'd helped me."

Ranma rushed down the stairs, cursing himself for his carelessness and his former friends for getting in his way. He had just reached the portrait hole when he heard Harry call out to him. He and Ron were sitting in armchairs nearby. "What're you two doing in here?" he asked. "I thought you were watching the third floor corridor."

"McGonagall saw us up there. She got a bit angry with us."

"A bit?" Ron snorted, shaking is head. "I thought she'd blow off her witch's hat. She even threatened to take fifty points from Gryffindor, can you imagine that?"

"No, Ron, I can't remember any time at all in the past where she's done any thing like that." Ranma said, rolling his eyes.

"What about you?" asked Harry. "Weren't you getting something to find Snape?"

Ranma frowned. "I was, but-"

Just then, the portrait swung open and Hermione entered, running headlong into him and sending them sprawling onto the floor. Ranma stood and reached down to help her back to her feet. She was slightly out of breath and looked very worried. "What happened to following Snape?" he asked.

"I tried to!" she wailed. "But Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I only just got away, and I don't know where he went."

Ranma's heart sank and, again, he cursed his former friends. If they had the Map, they wouldn't have to worry about finding Snape. Now, the only place they were sure Snape would be that night was the third floor corridor. Harry seemed to be thinking along the same lines. A strange calm had settled over him. He had gone pale, looking half fearful and half eager as he spoke.

"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" He said, looking at them with strangely glittering eyes. Ranma stared at him, recognizing in Harry, for the first time, the same fierce determination that he'd seen in countless other fighters. He was steeling himself for a fight. "I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first."

"Harry, don't be stupid!" said Ron. "We can't just go wandering around, and what if we run into him?"

"We don't have a choice, Ron." Ranma disagreed. "We're the only ones who know about what's really going on, and no one who can do anything about it will believe us."

"Ranma, Harry, we can't!" said Hermione. "After what Snape and McGonagall said? We'll all be expelled!"

"SO WHAT?" Harry shouted. "Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup?" He paused, his chest heaving, glaring at them. In those few moments, a change had come over him. Harry seemed to radiate power and authority, and Ranma had to blink to make sure he wasn't seeing an actual aura.

"Voldemort killed my parents, remember? And right now, we're the only ones that can stop him from coming back to kill others." Harry said, his voice hard as steel. "I'm going to stop Snape, with or without the three of you."

There was a silence as they let his words sink in. Ranma hardly had to think of what Harry had said. Direct confrontation and fighting were two things he understood best, and he had as much interest in keeping Voldemort safely "dead" as Harry. Besides, it was past the time for the Potions Master to get his comeuppance. "Definitely with, Harry." He said flashing a wry half-smile.

"Yeah, no way we're letting you go alone." added Ron. "Hermione?"

"You're right, Harry." she said quietly. "We'll all go. We'll stop him, somehow."

Harry looked very relieved. "Thanks."

"Thank us after we get through whatever the teachers put down there." said Ranma.

"Right, I should go look through my books, there might be something useful..." Hermione said before running up the steps to the girls' dormitory.

Ranma watched her go, smiling to himself. With Hermione's brains, there wasn't likely much that would stay in their way. "I'm going down to dinner. You two coming?"

They goggled at him. "How can you think about food at a time like this?" Ron said.

"I'm going to battle. I need to be well fed and rested." he replied simply.

At dinner, he was far too busy eating to notice people being horrible to him, and he hardly payed attention to Neville's talk about carnivorous magical plants. He did notice, however, that Snape wasn't in the Great Hall; no doubt he, like Ranma, was preparing for what awaited later that night. Having eaten his fill, Ranma returned to the common room and asked Harry to wake him when they were ready to go, then ascended the stairs to the first-years' dormitory.

For the first time since arriving at Hogwarts, Ranma hopped into his four-poster, closed the curtains, and settled into the soft mattress. He wanted no tension or strain on his body, and the bedroll could not help him there. The effect was almost immediate, and he felt drowsy as he tried to clear his mind of any thoughts that were not about sleep. Within minutes, he had drifted off completely.

"Ranma, it's time." he distantly heard Harry say. Ranma blinked twice and felt a sudden rush of energy sweep away his drowsiness. With the silence born from many years of practice, he quickly slipped on his most comfortable pair of loose Chinese pants and a sleeveless, collarless vest. Thick, steel reinforced leather bracers, which he hadn't worn in almost two years, fastened quickly and securely to his forearms before he threw on a threadbare robe that, he hoped, would be easy to slip or tear off. Finally, Ranma slipped his feet into well-worn, black canvas shoes before heading out the door and down the stairs.

When he reached the foot of the staircase, Ranma became aware of two things. First, because his senses were particularly sharp and on hair-triggers due to what lay ahead, he immediately sensed that there was one too many magical auras in the common room. Second, the owner of the extra aura was Neville, and he was standing between the portrait hole, his wand pointed at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. In his other hand, Neville held another wand, and Ranma had a good idea about who owned it. "What's going on here?" he asked, startling Neville as he emerged from the shadows.

"Neville's being an idiot." Ron volunteered, sounding very annoyed.

"Don't you call me that!" Neville said angrily.

"He won't move because he's afraid we'll lose more points." Hermione explained before giving him a pleading look. "We haven't much time."

Ranma nodded and turned toward his student, across whose face flickered a look of hurt, as if he'd been betrayed. "Neville, please, get out of the way. We've got something to do and it's more important than house points."

"No." he replied with his jaw clenched, a determined look on his face.

Ranma shook his head and sighed. He wasn't exactly surprised by this; he did, after all, teach Neville, and knew that he could be stubborn even in the face of overwhelming odds (like fighting with Ranma). Ranma had witnessed Neville's increasing confidence and decreasing fear during their training sessions. When he set his mind to something, very few people could match his determination. "Sorry, then, but I have to move you."

Ranma did not give Neville enough time to register these words before moving close and grabbing the outstretched wand arm. On instinct, Neville, expecting a throw, tried pulling away using a move Ranma had taught him, but neither he nor the other three were expecting what happened next. Ranma whipped out his wand, pointed it at Neville's chest, and incanted "_Petrificus Totalus!_" Neville's body immediately assumed the position of the Full Body Bind and became petrified. The others were so surprised that they completely missed the lack of a spell actually exiting Ranma's wand.

Ranma caught his friend before he hit the ground and gave him an apologetic frown. "Sorry 'bout this." he said lamely. Neville's eyes burned furiously at him.

"Leave him there, Ranma, we've got to hurry." Harry said, unfolding the invisibility cloak.

"I can't. He needs to know why we're doing this. He must not know, otherwise he wouldn't've been going on about house points."

"We don't have time." Harry insisted.

"This'll only take a second." Ranma looked back at Neville. "We'll tell you everything later, but what's important now is that we're going to stop Snape from stealing the Philosopher's Stone that's being guarded in the third floor corridor. We know he's going to do it tonight with Dumbledore out of the castle. If he gets it, he's going to use it to help bring Voldemort back. " Ranma gave him a moment to let this sink in before continuing. "Now you have a choice, Nev. You can spend the night petrified on the floor, or you can come with us and help stop him."

"What!" Harry and Hermione exclaimed.

"No. No, absolutely not." Ron said. "He is _not_ coming with us."

"Yes, he _is_." Ranma said, glaring at Ron. "Neville's good in a fight, I'll vouch for that."

"Well, more help wouldn't hurt." Hermione admitted. "Snape can't curse us all."

"Fine, let's just go." Harry said impatiently, cutting off Ron's protest.

"_Finite_." Ranma waved his wand while pushing a small bit of magic through his hand on Neville's shoulder. Neville shook himself but was restrained by the iron grip Ranma kept on his shoulder. "Are you with us?" Ranma asked, training his wand on him.

"Yeah, of course." Neville grinned nervously. "I would'nt've gotten in the way if I'd known that's what you were up to."

"Just one problem, Ranma." Ron said, pointing at the cloak in Harry's hands. "All five of us can't fit under there."

Ron was right. Ranma doubted the cloak would have even hidden four of them. "Well...don't worry about that. I might know a shortcut that will keep us out of sight most of the way. Just follow me."

One by one, they slipped out of the portrait hole and into the dark castle corridors. Ranma led them to a tapestry and held it open for everyone to enter, walking in after Neville.

"Oh yeah, by the way," Ranma said, rapping Neville hard on the top of his head, "we don't fight girls."

"OUCH!" hissed Neville, rubbing the top of his head gingerly. "But I had to, she was the biggest threat." he complained.

Ranma considered his student and shrugged. "Well, I can't argue with that." he said wryly.

He edged around the others in the rather tight passage and led them to a door. Sensing nothing but deciding to play it safe, Ranma motioned for Harry to hand over the invisibility cloak and, slipping it over his head, slowly opened the door and peeked out. The corridor was empty, so he slipped out and waved for the others to follow. It was dead silent and their ears strained to hear the slightest noise above the faint scuffing of their shoes and the brushing of their cloaks against the stone floor. Ranma was the only one walking as if he were unconcerned with being caught, which he was not, since his heightened senses and magical sight would give him due warning far before anyone could come close enough to see them. This came in very useful when, just before they reached the staircase up to the third floor, he felt a large magical presence.

"Stay back." he whispered, waving them against the wall. "Someone's around the corner."

"How do you know that?" Ron wondered aloud.

"I'll explain later." Ranma replied dismissively.

"I'll take a peek." Harry said, slipping on the cloak. Ten seconds later, he whipped it off, looking chagrined. "It's Peeves."

Everyone groaned except for Ranma, whose face lit up with a calculating smile. "Don't worry about Peeves, I'll handle him." he said. Harry pressed the cloak into his hands, but Ranma shook his head. "Don't need it, but you guys might want to get behind it."

"Ranma!" Hermione said, grabbing his arm. "If Peeves sees you-"

"I want him to see me." He gently disengaged her hand. "Trust me."

Ranma ascended the staircase soundlessly and stopped behind the poltergeist, whose back was turned as he loosened the carpet on the stairs. Peeves was singing a song about students rolling down the stairs and breaking their necks, so Ranma wasn't very sorry to break up his reverie. "Hello Peeves." he said in a falsely-friendly tone. Peeves started so violently that he did a back flip and landed flat on his face. Ranma barely contained a laugh, instead settling on flashing an unfriendly smirk.

"Oooh, you'll pay for-" The little man shouted as he turned over quickly, red with anger. Catching sight of Ranma, the words froze in his throat, and he looked slightly fearful. "M-mr. Saotome! W-what a pleasant s-surprise." he said, his voice suddenly ingratiating. "I wouldn't've yelled if I'd known it was y-"

He flinched as Ranma reached down, only to have himself hauled into the air. He seemed very surprised and relieved. "Not a problem. Oh, and call me Ranma." Ranma said after picking the little man up and letting him go. "My friends all call me that, and we're friends, right?"

"Of course Mr...er, Ranma." Peeves agreed, nodding earnestly. "Er, Ranma, you're out rather late-"

"That's my business." Ranma cut in before flashing another disingenuous smile. Peeves seemed to pale but, to his credit, stood his ground. "Since we're _friends_, Peeves, you wouldn't mind doing me a favor, would you?"

"Of course not, anything, anything at all." Peeves replied in his oily voice.

"Great. I have business down this way and I don't want to be disturbed." He said pointedly.

"Of course, Ranma. I was just thinking of going-"

"Also, I'd like you to do something else for me that's very important, so listen carefully. In exactly three hours, come back here. If you don't see me, go to Professor McGonagall and tell her that the Stone is in danger and to hurry to the third floor corridor. Got it?" Peeves nodded. "Good. And don't mess this up, I'll know if you do."

"Not to worry, Ranma, anything for my _friend_." Peeves said, backing away. "I'll, er, just be off then." And he sped away down the stairs faster than Ranma had ever seen him fly.

Several seconds later, Ranma's cohorts joined him at the top of the stairs, all four looking utterly flabbergasted. "Since when does Peeves listen to students?" Neville asked for the other three.

"Especially you." Hermione added. "He hates you."

"Yeah, but he's also scared of me." Ranma grinned wickedly before explaining. "Peeves bothered me one day when I wasn't up for playing around and...well, I took a swipe at him with more strength than normal. That's why no one saw him for six weeks." This was mostly true, except for the fact that he was acting like a cat and had, apparently, slashed the poltergeist with claws of pure ki, the only things that could have harmed the highly magical Peeves. "Ever since then, we've gotten on fine. Whenever he's not able to run the other way, of course."

Ron laughed despite himself. "Oh man, wait 'til I tell everyone." he chuckled.

"That might not be a good idea." Ranma said, turning and leading the way towards Fluffy's door. "He's scared of me, not you, and he holds a grudge worse than Filch."

They were silent as they crept down the hall. As they came nearer to the door, they saw that it was slightly ajar. They looked worriedly at each other, hit by the sudden realization that all their suspicions were right.

"Well, there you are." Harry said grimly. "Snape's already got past Fluffy." He looked at them, jaw set with determination. "If you all want to go back-"

"Don't be stupid." said Ron.

"We're all going. You're not facing Snape alone." Ranma added. Hermione and Neville nodded in agreement.

Harry rifled in his robe pocket for something, pulling out a wooden pipe. "I've got my flute to play. Lucky Hagrid gave me this for Christmas, otherwise we'd have to sing."

Ranma nodded and slowly pushed open the door. Fluffy immediately set to growling. Peeking inside, he saw the dog's three heads staring directly at him, it's hind legs taut and ready to spring forward. He pulled his head out just in time, as Fluffy threw himself at the door, slamming it shut, his snarls and barks loud despite the solid wooden door. "Um, maybe you should start playing before we go in." Ranma suggested faintly.

"Oh, right." Harry said sheepishly. He put the flute to his lips, but was stopped by a tug on arm from Neville, who was looking at the door with a look of dawning comprehension.

"Hang on. That's the door to that three-headed dog." he said, backing away. "You didn't say anything about the dog!"

"Relax, Neville." Ron grabbed one of Neville's arms and tried to pull him back, rather unsuccessfully, before Ranma grabbed the other arm. "We know how to get around him, look."

Harry raised the flute again, this time blowing a long, shrill note that Ranma hardly thought constituted music. It seemed to do the trick, however, because Fluffy's barks and growls suddenly stopped and were soon replaced by deep, long snores. Hermione pushed the door open, revealing the monstrous dog sprawled on the floor, it's three heads each snoring loudly, tongues lolling and dripping drool. It had fallen asleep almost directly on top of the trap door, but a good push by Ranma moved Fluffy out of the way. He pulled the large iron ring and flung effortlessly open the door, which seemed to lead to a dark, gloomy nothing. Even focusing with his magic sight hardly helped; all Ranma could see was a fuzzy glow that seemed to vibrate slightly. "Can't see a thing. I guess we'll just have to drop." he remarked.

Harry pointed at himself, indicating he wanted to go first. "Okay, but be careful. There's something down there, it might be dangerous." warned Ranma. Harry nodded. "All right, I'll go last then."

They exchanged the flute and, one by one, the others began dropping down the hole. It was apparently quite a drop, if their long shouts were any indication. Steeling himself for a potentially unpleasant fall, Ranma, too, stepped into the darkness, tucking the flute into his robes. Unlike his comrades, Ranma actually could see, to some degree, how far he had to fall, and only hoped the others were able to handle the landing. With instincts and grace honed from years of mid-air combat, Ranma braced himself for impact. He did not expect, however, to land on something that felt almost as soft as a stiff pillow, and he stumbled a bit before doing a corrective roll, springing forward into one more tight roll, and jumping to his feet within an inch of the wall. He turned around to discover that rolling clear had been a very good idea.

Harry and Ron were struggling against what, it seemed, had been the large glowing form Ranma had glimpsed earlier. He could barely make it out in the dim light, but it was definitely some kind of plant with thick, leafy vines that were doing their best to throttle his friends.

"I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hermione said frantically. "Stop moving, it'll only grab you harder!"

"No, you can't kill it!" Neville implored.

"Well do something before it kills _us_." Harry choked out.

"Hang on, I'll tear you free." Ranma said, but Neville restrained him before he could wade into the mess of writhing vines.

"Ranma, no!" he barked forcefully. "If you hurt it, the Devil's Snare will become even more aggressive."

"Neville, forget about the bloody plant, it's trying to _kill them_!"

"It's afraid of light...we need to make a lot of light." Hermione said, sounding slightly panicked.

"WELL START A BLOODY FIRE ALREADY!" Ron shouted. She widened her eyes and nodded, pulling out her wand and pointing it at the plant. The move was unnecessary, however, because the plant suddenly stopped moving. "It's letting go!" Harry exclaimed, sounding extremely relieved. Throwing the suddenly limp vines off, he and Ron scrambled away. "Good save, Hermione."

"But I didn't do anything." she said, confusing in her voice. "How -"

She stopped abruptly, her mouth hanging open, a combined expression of shock and amazement on her face. Following her gaze, the three boys were just as shocked as she looked. Neville knelt amongst the plant's vines, all of which had begun undulating like a moving snake. He was casually petting a particularly large vine, looking completely unafraid, while muttering incoherently and gently waving his wand at the plant.

"Neville," Ranma gasped, "what're you doing?"

Neville flashed a reassuring smile before getting up and out of the reach of the plant. He seemed completely at ease and confident, something that no one but Ranma had ever witnessed before. "Devil's Snare can be fatally damaged by bright light." he explained.

"That was kind of the point, Neville." Ron remarked, rolling his eyes. "That would've been a _good_ thing."

"No, it wouldn't have." Neville countered sharply. "Besides the fact that it's Professor Sprout's plant, I don't see why we should kill it. It didn't choose to be down here."

Ron looked unabashed and opened his mouth to argue, but Hermione cut him off. "I didn't know that, about the bright light." she admitted, causing all four boys to look at her with disbelief.

"You're joking." Harry said. "You always know these things."

"Well, I can't know everything." she said modestly. "Anyway, how did you know to do that, Neville?"

"I read it in a book on carnivorous magical plants." he said, sounding pleased with himself.

"Really? Which one?" Hermione asked eagerly. Harry cleared his throat very loudly.

"Can we compare notes later? We've got a Stone to save, remember?"

"One problem," said Ranma, looking around the room, "where's the door?"

Hermione lit her wand, shielding the light with her hand so as not to shine it directly on the Devil's Snare. Casting it along the walls, it was clear that the there was no exit to the room. She strode over to the wall and began feeling along the stones, moving right along its length. "That's odd. Why would there be a room with no way ou-" She stopped abruptly, feeling strong hands pull her back. "Ranma, what on earth-"

"Devil's Snare. You were about to walk right into it." he said, pointing at the thick mass of vines that snaked across the floor and up the wall.. Heedless of the damage the light could do to it, Hermione shined it directly on the plant, her eyes growing wider as it illuminated the thick mass on the wall. The plant seemed to shake with pain, but it held it's place. Noting this, she nodded, as if getting confirmation.

"I think I've found the door." she said, pointing at the vines on the wall. "Those vines must be fake; Devil's Snare isn't a climber. We need it to relax. Neville, do you think you could do that trick of yours again?"

Neville nodded and waded into the mass of vines, which immediately began trying to entangle his legs. Within moments, though, the vines became limp, and those on the wall fell to the ground with muffled thuds, revealing the entrance to a passageway.

"Good job, Hermione." Harry said, leading the way through the exit. Hermione and Ron followed him into the passage. Ranma started to follow them, but stopped when he realized Neville hadn't moved. "Come on, Neville." He said, but his friend shook his head.

"Can't. This plant's too stubborn. When I stop doing this, it'll cover the exit before I can get to it." he replied. "Go on, I'll be fine here. Just stop Snape from taking that Philosopher's Stone."

Ranma frowned, but realized there was no way around it. "We'll be back for you. If not...Professor McGonagall should be along." Neville smiled weakly and nodded. Ranma turned and headed down the passage, giving one last wave to Neville before the vines slithered back up the wall, closing off the entrance.

"Where's Neville?" Hermione asked when he'd caught up. They seemed a bit taken aback when Ranma explained Neville's decision. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Yeah, at least until we get back."

Ron snorted. "I knew we should've torched that ruddy plant. Now we're down a man."

"He did the right thing. And I thought you didn't want Neville to come with us." said Ranma in a cool tone.

"Yeah, but that was-"

"Will you two keep it down?" Harry cut in, sounding annoyed. "We don't know how far ahead Snape is, and I don't want him to know we're after him."

They continued in silence down the downward sloping passage, hearing only the sounds of dripping water and their shuffling footsteps. "Can you hear something?" whispered Ron.

Straining his ears, Ranma could make out a faint rustling, like leaves, and metallic clinking. "A ghost?"

"I don't know...sounds like wings to me." replied Harry.

"There's a light ahead. I can see something moving." Hermione said, pointing ahead.

The passageway ended in large, brightly-lit room with a ceiling so high that it rivaled the castle's entrance hall. The air seemed thick with small birds which flitted about and jostled one another in mid-air. Directly across the room was a wooden door. In all, it was very anti-climactic, especially after Fluffy and the Devil's Snare. Ranma scanned the room with his magical sight and wasn't the least bit surprised to see that the birds were all magical. Neither was it a shock that the door was also glowing with magical energy.

"Reckon they'll attack us if we try to cross?" Ron said, pointing up at the birds.

"Yeah. They don't look vicious, but if they swarm..." Harry said. "There's no other choice...I'll run-"

"Hey, come take a look at this door." Ranma called out. He had already crossed the room and was standing next to the door, waving them over. "Don't worry about the birds, they're not paying us any attention." He waited for them before talking again.

"It's been spelled shut. I can't budge it, and that unlocking charm doesn't work either." Truth be told, Ranma had even tried disrupting the spell but, inexplicably, it had somehow strengthened the spell.

"I wonder..." Hermione looked closely at the handle. "It's got a keyhole. There must be a key around here somewhere..."

Harry looked up, looked back down at the lock, then did a double-take. "The _birds_. I knew there was something funny about them; they're _glittering_. They're keys!"

He was right. Squinting, Ranma could just make out the jagged outlines of all sorts of keys. "Yeah, but how do we catch one?" asked Ranma skeptically. As if to answer his question, four brooms appeared out of thin air. "Well...that's convenient..."

"But which one is it? There must be hundreds-" Hermione said.

"It's an old-fashioned one." Ron said. "See, it'd match the lock."

"There, that one!" Harry shouted, pointing at a large, silver key with a bent wing. It was flying so high up that Ranma wondered how Harry had even seen it. "Right then, let's go get that key."

This turned out to be easier said than done. As soon as they jumped on the brooms, the keys really _did_ swarm them. This wasn't much of a problem for Harry, whose Seeker skills allowed him to dodge most of them. Nor was it difficult for Ranma who, after months of Quidditch practice, was now fairly decent on a broom, and also had the advantage of a ki-enhanced arm that he used to slap away the keys. Hermione and Ron, meanwhile, had to suffer the cuts and stings, but they continued the chase anyway. The silver key, however, was quite reluctant to get caught and proved to be very elusive. Only with Hermione and Ron corralling it and Ranma stunning it with another key was Harry able to get his hands around it.

"Got it!" he yelled, turning into a dive and pulling up just in front of the door, the others right behind. The keys immediately forgot about them as soon as they dismounted, returning to their random flight paths. Harry jammed the key into the lock and, after a satisfying click, the door swung open.

The interior was pitch black but, from the glowing, Ranma could see that there was plenty of magical energy inside. The moment they crossed the threshold, however, light flooded the room, and they collectively gasped at the sight. The entire floor of the room was covered in alternating black and white squares. Directly in front of them and across the room were stone statues, half of them black and half white, all taller than a grown man and all with carved stone armor and swords. They were standing on the edge of a giant chessboard.

"Now what?" Harry whispered.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron said, an almost eager look on his face. "We've got to play across the room." He pointed at a door directly behind the white king.

"How?" Hermione asked nervously.

"I think we've got to become chessmen." He walked over to a night and touched the horse, which sprang to life like a wizarding chess piece. Somehow, though, seeing it happen to a life-size piece was a bit eerie. "Do we – er – have to join you to get across?" Ron asked the knight, which nodded in response.

Ron didn't look nearly so eager now, for obvious reasons. If they had to join, and this really _was _like wizarding chess... "All right, I've got it." Ron said, rather grimly. "Harry, you-"

CRASH! Ron yelped and Hermione screamed, and they all jumped at the noise. All, that is, except Ranma, whom they now saw was the source of the crash. He was sprawled atop a fallen bishop and castle, wearing a chagrined look on his face. He climbed to his feet, looking none the worse for wear, and dusted himself off. "What on earth just happened?" Hermione asked him.

"Oh, um..." Ranma replied, looking down at his feet in embarrassment. "I – er – tried to walk across the board. I guess there's some kind of barrier; it threw me all the way across the room. Lucky I had those chessmen to break my fall."

Behind him, the now-animated pieces were glaring murderously at Ranma's back. "Lucky all it did was throw you." Ron remarked. "Right. No offense, but I'm better at chess than all of you, so I'll run the game, okay? Oy, you two," he said to the still grumbling bishop and castle, "you're off. Harry, you're the bishop, Hermione, you're the castle. Ranma, you take the queen's spot. I'm going to be a knight."

The four black pieces left their places and the four Gryffindors took their positions. Across the board, a white pawn moved forward two spaces. The game was on.

It turned into a brutal affair, with pieces from both sides being bludgeoned without mercy. While he was by no means Ron's equal at the game, Ranma could tell that he was trying to keep Hermione and Harry out of trouble. Meanwhile, he and Ron wreaked havoc on the white pieces. On the other side, the white queen was decimating their ranks. As the pieces dwindled, Ranma and the white queen seemed to be locked in a struggle to outmaneuver one another.

"Bloody hell!" Ron yelled in frustration when the white queen evaded Ranma again and took their other castle. "Ranma, I'm sorry, but I've got to sacrifice you. It's the only way to finish them off."

"Don't worry about me; trust me, they won't hurt me." Ranma reassured him. Ron nodded.

"Move diagonally three spaces." Ranma did so. The white queen immediately swept to his square, swinging at him with her stone arms. Ranma neatly sidestepped, grabbed one of the offending arms, and heaved the statuesque white queen over his shoulder. Enraged, she leaped to her feet with uncanny swiftness and descended on him again, only to meet with the same result.

"Don't." Ranma warned when she regained her feet and looked ready to fly at him again. "Let's just say I've been taken before you embarrass yourself any more." he added, walking off the board without a backwards glance.

Despite the loss of Ranma, this exchange seemed to be exactly what Ron was hoping for, because he directed the next few moves without pause. The white queen, meanwhile, seemed to have become even more brutal, no doubt still angry at Ranma. Thus, Ron's next move was his most impressive and deserving of respect, at least in Ranma's eyes.

"I've got to be taken." Ron said softly, looking the white queen directly in the face.

"NO!" Harry and Hermione shouted. Ranma jumped up from where he was sitting. From the way she had been playing, he knew he'd have to do something to prevent the queen from killing Ron.

"That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices. When I make my move, she'll take me, and that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry."

"But-"

"I've got to do this! We don't have time to argue, Snape might have the Stone already!" Ron looked at Ranma and seemed to know what he was thinking. "Ranma, stay off the board. You can't help me or we'll lose the game." He looked over to Hermione and Harry. "Ready? Here I go – don't hang around once you've won."

Looking grim and determined, he took the steps right into the white queen's line of fire. She swept to his square and backhanded him so hard that he slid several feet. Harry didn't even give her time to drag him off the board before he'd made the checkmate. Ranma sprinted onto the board, yelling at them. "Go on, I'll make sure he's okay. Hurry!" They nodded and ran out the door.

A cursory check showed that Ron was unconscious but, fortunately, wasn't bleeding. A nasty purple mark snaked across the left side of his face, and there was a good chance he had at least some fractures and a concussion. Ranma was considering taking him back to the previous room when a scream and an inhuman roar blasted from the door that Harry and Hermione had just entered.

Ranma's body reacted before the noises had fully registered in his brain. He was down the short corridor and through another door in seconds, looking wildly about for his friends. The room reeked like a peat bog, and it soon became apparent why.

A troll, larger than the one from Halloween, towered above Harry and Hermione. Off to the side, another troll lay in a pool of blood that spilled from the nearly decapitating wound in it's neck. Unlike the other troll, this one wore full plate armor on it's torso and legs and matching gauntlets on its hands. Instead of a club, the troll held a massive broadsword. Its skin was the color of pea soup and its pointed, clever-looking face was stretched with a malevolent expression.

The troll slowly raised its giant sword, intent on crushing Harry and Hermione beneath the blade. Ranma, however, had something to say about that. "**_STOP!_**" he yelled at the top of his lungs, forcing a bit of magic into the command to make it louder. It did the trick, distracting the troll for just a moment, and in that moment, Ranma took off.

Later, Ranma would realize that he moved faster than he'd ever needed to before, and that he'd done so because, unconsciously, he'd used magical energy instead of ki. At the time, though, his only focus was on reaching his friends before the giant blade. Halfway to them, he realized the sword was moving as quickly as he was. Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, he willed his legs to move faster and dove at Harry and Hermione, tackling them roughly and knocking them clear. Behind them, the sword hit the stone floor with a crash and a crunch, spraying chips of rock around the room.

"RUN!" He yelled, pulling them to their feet and shoving them in the direction of the far door. The troll didn't notice that they'd escaped for several moments, thanks to blood that was already on the sword. As soon as it realized that they were still alive, though, it gave chase, it's footsteps thundering in the room. They sprinted for the door, but Ranma could tell that the troll would catch them before they could escape. He skidded to a halt, turned, and launched himself upwards at the approaching troll. A twisting forward flip in mid-air helped Ranma avoid a deadly swipe of the sword and also positioned his body for an upward strike. He straightened his legs, thrusting as hard as he could and pushing ki into them as his feet slammed into the troll's chest plate. The armor buckled and rang with a dull clang, and the troll could only look shocked and confused for a moment before the new direction of its momentum sent it stumbling backwards, crashing hard on the ground. Ranma flipped backwards, landing gingerly on his now-aching feet.

"HARRY, HERMIONE!" he shouted, not taking his eyes off the troll. "Get out of here! Close the door and don't look back!"

"Ranma, no, it'll kill you!" Hermione shrieked.

"I'm the only one who can handle this!" he insisted. "You've got to stop Snape. NOW GO!"

He heard the door slam shut and breathed easier, but only for a moment. The troll roared again, only it wasn't the mindless screaming he was expecting. The creature was sitting up and feeling the damage Ranma had done to the armor. A quick glance with his magical sight showed a trace of magical energy on the armor. Apparently, Ranma had, without intending to, successfully broken the enchantments on the armor (which explained why his feet were now hurting), and the impact of his blow had left a large, cracked dent over the troll's heart.

"ARGH! Do you know what you've done, you miserable little worm?" it yelled, glaring murderously at him. "I'll flay you alive for this, boy!"

Ranma goggled at the troll; the last thing he'd expected was a troll that could actually talk. It jumped to its feet with frightening speed and bent down to pick up the sword. Now much closer to the creature, he could tell that it was at least fourteen or fifteen feet tall and at least as wide as three of Hagrid. Bulging green muscles rippled as it moved, contrasting with the shiny silver pieces of armor. Besides being made of, no doubt, thick metal, the armor and the sword also glowed brilliantly in Ranma's magical sight

The troll breathed heavily, it's breath smelling of rotting fish and dung. It looked contemptuously down at him, while Ranma merely stood at ready, watching the smallest movements of its muscles and trying to find a gap in it's armor. Even with the enchantments dispelled, the armor would still keep it protected from his blows, and he didn't want to drag the fight out longer than necessary.

It raised the sword in the air with unnatural speed, but Ranma was already a step ahead. He charged forward and ran up the troll's legs and chest, hoping to land a knockout blow to its chin. It could only look alarmed as he pulled back his leg, loaded with ki, and swung it forward.

_WHAM!_ The entire right side of Ranma's body exploded with pain, and he felt himself flying for several seconds before a wall brutally stopped him. His head swam and stars danced before his eyes. Ranma's left arm refused to move entirely, and his upper right arm was throbbing angrily. As he struggled to regain his breath, the troll laughed with a deep, haughty voice and slowly walked towards where he lay.

"Foolish boy," it said over the sound of the broadsword, which it dragged behind, "your useless attacks won't hurt me, not in this armor. Do you not know whom you are attacking?"

Ranma didn't bother answering. He was looking up at the monster, frantically wondering how he'd been blind-sided and whether his injuries were going to keep him from holding the troll off. "No, of course not. Trolls are beneath you _humans_." it said, nearly spitting. "But you will know, boy, the consequences for crossing Boss Troll."

Ranma couldn't help it; despite the situation, he snorted derisively. "_Boss Troll_? What kind of name is that? Is that what they call any of your lot that can string two words together?" he said, struggling painfully to his feet. He tore off his robe, which was barely holding itself together.

The troll's face darkened and it growled menacingly. "Boss Troll is what they call a troll who kills everyone who doesn't call him Boss Troll." it said, leering at him.

"Yeah, well _Dead Troll_ is what I call any troll that gets in my way." Ranma said, looking defiant and hoping he sounded menacing. "I've already killed one of your lot, why not help me add another notch to my belt?"

"You lie, boy. You couldn't kill a youngling, much less the leader of the forest trolls." the troll roared, swinging the sword recklessly at him.

"Tell that to the mountain troll I killed here last Halloween." Ranma shot back with a smirk, jumping over the sword with seemingly little effort. He hoped the troll wouldn't notice how worried he really was. Both his arms were damaged, though his left one would be much better if he could somehow get the shoulder back in socket. The right one was probably fractured, so it would be only slightly useful, even with ki reinforcing it.

The troll stepped up the pace as it slashed at him. Ranma frantically rolled, ducked, and dodged, cursing the armor that brought the blade closer and closer to striking him. The Boss Troll's angry growls punctuated each swing as it grew frustrated. As if that weren't enough, Ranma was also forced to dodge flying chips of stone and showers of sparks in addition to the sword itself.

_CRACK!_ The sword finally found it's mark. Ranma barely had time to gather his ki to protect himself, but it was fortunate he had. Instead of cleaving him in half, the blade only doubled Ranma over, knocking the wind out of his chest and shooting him into a wall dangerously fast.

For the second time, he slammed into a wall, cracking the stone slightly on impact. Ranma's entire body screamed with agony, except for his left shoulder, which had been popped back into place by the impact. Black spots danced across his periphery, threatening to engulf him in unconsciousness. He swallowed hard and clung tightly to the act of circulating his ki, hoping it would clear his head. After a minute, he pushed himself to his feet, his hands sticky with blood. Ranma looked down at the source of the blood and stumbled backwards into the wall, slightly sickened by the long, shallow cut that had sliced into his stomach and arms. Trying not to panic, he concentrated his ki at the sites of the wounds before turning his attention back to his attacker.

The troll had obviously (and with good reason) thought he was dead, because it had gone back near the entrance to the room and was squatting in front of the door, laying in wait for the next person that came through the door. It was obvious to Ranma, as he quietly considered the way the fight had gone so far, that he needed to disable the armor. The problem with that plan was that doing so would require more ki than he was willing to use in his current condition. Of course, if he didn't do something soon, he wouldn't have a condition to be in at all. He had to end the fight quickly before the troll hit him again and really _did_ kill him. He scrutinized the troll's armor and, this time, without any distractions, he found the weak point he needed.

Genma had told him many times that strength alone wasn't enough to win a fight, and that stronger opponents could be outsmarted. Ranma almost never approached a fight with that mentality, always thinking himself the stronger fighter, but his fights with Genma, who was technically stronger, never let him forget that lesson. His exchanges with the Boss Troll so far had been frontal, power versus power clashes, and that plan had nearly gotten him killed. It was time for a new strategy.

"OY! Running away already, are you?" he shouted.

The Boss Troll jumped to his feet and whipped around, a shocked look on his face. "How are you still alive?" it roared.

"It's not hard when your sword skills are so terrible and you swing like a girl." Ranma retorted, trying to look calm. "A _human_ girl."

"You dare speak to me with such insolence?" the Boss Troll thundered, running at him and slicing down with the sword. Ranma quickly dropped to the ground, ignoring his body's protest, and pushed away from his spot with a magically imbued palm. He rolled away just in time, the blade missing him by inches and burying itself into the floor. Ranma immediately popped to his feet and jumped back to where he'd just stood and where the sword was now stuck two feet into the floor.

"What -" grunted the Boss Troll as it struggled and failed to free the sword, "- manner – of – magic – "

Ranma looked proudly at his handiwork, thankful that his spell had worked. He had to work fast, though, because, even now, the effects were starting to wear off and loosen the sword. "It's my magic, troll." he replied disdainfully. Gathering ki in his right hand, he jabbed the blade and let loose the energy, which overwhelmed the unbreakable charm. He punched hard at the blade with is left hand, forcing a spell into the blade that made it as brittle as a crisp. The blade shattered and the troll, in the process of pulling on it, stumbled backwards and fell hard against the wall.

Ranma, himself, stumbled and fell to his knees, breathing hard and struggling to remain conscious. Though the powerful combination he'd just used had just destroyed the enchanted sword, the rapid, successive use of a large amount of his ki and magic seemed to drain him as badly as doing several wandless spells over a distance. He hadn't counted on that at all. Luckily, the Boss Troll was just as out of it as he was, and it gave him the opportunity to recover. He staggered to his feet again just as the troll, too, rose.

"Sorry about your little toy there." said Ranma as flippantly as he could muster. "Not like you knew how to use it anyway..."

"YOU!" the troll shouted angrily, clenching it's metal clad fists. "I'm going to -"

"Yeah, yeah, you're going to kill me." Ranma said dismissively. "Why don't you stop talking about it and come _do it_?"

"DIE!" The Boss Troll bent over, grabbing at him and screaming bloody murder. Ranma smirked as his opponent took the bait, confident that he would now win the fight.

The Boss Troll swiped at him, growing more and more frustrated and missing him by wider margins. Though the armor did seem to make the troll faster, it did nothing to disguise the troll's moves. Ranma's quick eyes and training gave him just enough time to anticipate and move, giving the impression that he was hardly trying. "Come on, are you trying to bore me to death?" Ranma said, dancing around a large fist. The troll roared impotently and finally over-extended itself. Ranma pounced.

He hopped to the left, easily avoiding the errant swat that pulled the troll's face directly above him. Exploding upwards with his left leg, Ranma twisted his body twice before lashing out with his right foot, which he'd heavily infused with ki. There was a loud, sickening _crack _as the heel of his foot slammed into the Boss Troll's chin, loosing the ki into it's skin and destroying the magical protection. Its head snapped back and the troll fell to the ground with a thud, a cry of anguish on it's lips. Ranma landed lightly ten feet away, praying that the blow had been enough.

Not quite. The Boss Troll was down for only thirty seconds before it pushed itself to its feet, staggering a bit and drooling blood. Its lower jaw was horrible shaped, and Ranma could see a bit of bone poking out. "Yuuuuggh!" The troll gurgled, it's eyes wide with pain and rage. The blow had taken it's toll, though, and it lurched at him half as quickly as before.

'No more chances. Gotta take him down now' Ranma thought, easily dodging the troll's hands as he darted between its legs. He jumped and kicked the backs of both its knees, dislocating the joints and bringing the Boss Troll down onto all fours. He flipped up onto the troll's back and ran to its neck, which he straddled and held in a vice-like grip with his legs. "YIELD!" he shouted over the pained cries. "YIELD OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

"HURGGH!" Wide-eyed, Ranma scrambled out of the way as the troll's right hand, balled into a fist, tried to smash him. It missed, and there was terrible _crack_ when it smashed into the troll's own neck. The Boss Troll wobbled but, much to Ranma's amazement, it remained awake. Seizing the opportunity, he punched it in the neck with a ki-infused punch and followed up with a wandless spell that, he hoped, would finally knock the troll out.

The effect was instantaneous. Ranma felt the troll's body go limp just before it crashed to the ground with a loud _thump_. His breath came in heaves and his head swam as he rose to his feet. 'And stay down.' he thought, blinking hard to clear the haze in his eyes. Ranma tried to take a step, but his body refused to move, and the edges of his vision became blurry. "Oh, brilliant, I guess I over-did it." he mumbled blearily before falling back in a dead faint.

"Ranma..." A voice was calling to him from what seemed like very far away. "Ranma...please..." The voice was closer now. Something soft that smelled slightly of flowers brushed pleasantly against his face, making Ranma smile a little. "Oh god, _please_ wake up, Ranma." The voice said in anguish. A drop of hot, salty liquid hit his lips. He recognized the voice. Something inside him snapped awake, ignoring the exhausted protest of his body.

"Hermione..." he said tiredly as he slowly opened his eyes. She was sitting on the ground, cradling his head in her lap, her face streaked with tears. "I'm alright." This was a lie, of course, but Ranma didn't want to worry her any more.

"No you're not, you idiot." she said with a relieved laugh and a tentative smile. "Can you walk? We've got to go."

Ranma nodded. "Where's Harry?" Her fearful look was enough of an answer.

"Let's go." she said as she helped him to his feet. He put his arm around her shoulder so she could help him walk. "You killed another troll, I see."

"It's unconscious. I told you all I'd be ready the next time I faced one." he said tiredly with not a small hint of pride. "It would be my luck that I'd have to face the 'Boss Troll', though."

"It's lucky you faced one already."

"Yeah, lucky that...lucky..." Ranma trailed off, his eyes becoming suddenly glazed over. For some odd reason, something Harry had said repeated in his head, as if it were trying to tell him something. 'It's lucky they found Hagrid...' Only that hadn't been luck at all, it had been deliberate. Glancing to the side, he saw the corpse of the other troll laying in a thick puddle of its own blood, looking much like the troll at Halloween. Unbidden, the memory of that night came back to him, but not a part he expected. Instead, he saw Quirrell run into the Great Hall, stuttering about a troll in the dungeons. He had been wrong, though, it was no where near the dungeons. And why was his wand in the wrong hand...

Ranma stopped suddenly, causing Hermione to stumble. "Hermione, I just thought of something." he said quickly. "What was in the room after this?"

She briefly told him of the walls of flame, the logic puzzle, and the seven potential poisons. With that, he began to feel as if a fog were lifting in his mind. Facts and events was starting to fall into place, but the conclusion they pointed to didn't make complete sense at all. "Hermione, I - you won't believe this. I think we're after the wrong person." Ranma said unsteadily, reeling from the revelation. "We've been chasing after Snape, when it's _Quirrell_ we should been after."

"Quirrell? Ranma, that's not possible."

"Yeah, it is. Think about it. All the obstacles we've faced so far, which one was Quirrell's?" Ranma said. "The Devil's Snare was Sprout, the keys were Flitwick. McGonagall was the chess board, I'm sure of it, and then the poisons was Snape. So the troll-"

"Was Quirrell's." she finished, looking confused. "What about it?"

"A troll, Hermione. He _summoned a troll_." Her eyes widened. "Exactly. _He_ summoned that troll at Halloween,"

"But – no – that's impossible! Quirrell wouldn't – that's not like him at all – it doesn't make sense." She said stubbornly. "And what about Snape? We know for sure that he's tried to get past Fluffy."

"Maybe he is trying to steal the Stone too, but Quirrell was the first. It all makes sense now. I bet it was Quirrell who got the secret of Fluffy out of Hagrid too. I had detention with Snape the night Hagrid says he got the egg."

"But it's just so unlikely. What would possess Quirrell to do th-" Hermione's eyes grew even wider than before. "Ranma, what if – what if Quirrell's been possessed?"

She'd said the word that had been eluding him ever since he'd had the revelation: possession. The final piece was in place, he saw the complete picture, and it scared him. "Voldemort." he said gravely. "What if _Voldemort_ is possessing him?"

Hermione jumped at the name. "But how-"

"His arm. I shattered his wand arm out in the forest." he replied, feeling cold in the pit of his stomach. "Quirrell is right-handed, but he's been using his wand in his left hand since that night, and he's always got the other one covered up by his cloak. Why would anyone wear a cloak all day in the summer? And I thought I saw a glimpse of it once, but he covered it up too fast. It might've been in a sling.."

"S-so You-Know-Who's been in the castle - this whole time? We've been in class with him..." Hermione suddenly clapper her hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, what if it's him, not Snape, who Harry went after?"

"Then he's going to be facing Voldemort again, and he won't even know it." Ranma replied gravely.

Tears began streaking down Hermione's stricken face. "What are we going to do? You-Know-Who will kill him!"

Ranma forced the fear down, letting adrenaline clear his mind. With a deep breath, he began focusing his ki to his injured limbs and channeling his magical energy about his body. "I'll go help Harry. No, don't argue." he said, cutting her off. "I'm hurt, but I can still fight. Go get Ron and Neville, get on those brooms, and bring any teachers you can find back down here. I'll – I'll try to hold him off."

Hermione's lip trembled and, next thing he knew, she'd flung herself at him and embraced him in a tight hug. "I know you can save him, Ranma, just like you saved me. Please be careful." she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"I will, I promise." he said, feeling a warmth spread through his chest.

"_Ganbatte._" She said, kissing him quickly on the cheek "I'll be back soon!" she called back as she ran out the room. Ranma idly touched where she'd kissed him as she disappeared, wondering where she'd learned how to say 'good luck' in Japanese. Shaking his head, he turned and sprinted back across the room and through the door.

The room was exactly as Hermione had described. As soon as he entered, purple flames covered the doorway back while black flames covered the forward door. Ranma paused, looking at the black flames with his magical sight, searching for a weakness. He found that the magic was weakest at the base of the door, where the flames emanated. Concentrating, he focused magical energy into his left hand while bathing his right arm in ki. The magic was very powerful, and he knew his strikes would have to be as fast as he could make them if he hoped to get past the doorway. He took a deep breath...

_THUD-SMACK!_ Ranma's right hand dove into the flames, the ki protecting his arm until he hit the ground and channeled it into the weak point. The flames flickered out for the briefest of moments, but he slapped his palm down in the same spot and pushed a wandless flame-freezing spell into the weak point. Not stopping to admire his handiwork, Ranma dove through the door and rolled, just barely making it before his spell wore off. Shaking off a wave of dizziness and nausea from his third use of the ki-magic combination, he stood up, searching wildly for Harry.

Loud shrieks of pain and a cold, high voice shouting "KILL HIM!" assaulted his ears. Ranma whipped his head around, his eyes falling on a terrible sight. Quirrell was on top of Harry, who was struggling and clawing at the man's face. Quirrell shrieked in pain, as if Harry's very touch were burning him. Seeing the back of the man's bald head, though, made Ranma's skin crawl, and he very nearly vomited right there. The high voice, the voice he remembered from the forest, came from a malevolent, barely human face on the back of Quirrell's head. It was Lord Voldemort, and he was killing Harry.

Ranma didn't think of his fear, or of Voldemort's power, or of the possibility that he would fail. He only thought of Harry, who lay at Death's door, of his promise to Hermione, and of the consequences of not acting. Ki and magic mixed together and swelled within him, erasing his exhaustion and pain and giving him a feeling of power and energy. Across the room, Quirrell's head suddenly turned and Voldemort looked straight at him, eyes widening in recognition on his pale, snake-like face. Ranma thought nothing of it, launching himself across the room like a bullet. Voldemort's magic, clearly visible with his magical sight, lashed out at him, but Ranma gracefully evaded it with practiced ease. Voldemort seemed powerless to stop him, his expression turning from angry to fearful.

_CRACK!_ Quirrell and Voldemort sailed across the room, Ranma's savage kick sending them slamming into the wall so hard that the masonry cracked. He rushed after them, prepared to do whatever it took to subdue Voldemort. From the unnatural angle of Quirrell's neck, however, it wouldn't be necessary; the man was dead. Ranma turned around to check on Harry, but a weak voice stopped him cold.

"Soatome...Ranma..." Voldemort's voice choked out. "When I...return...you will...pay...for...your defiance..."

Ranma looked directly into those burning, red eyes as life drained out of them. Feeling his fear melt away, he pulled back his right fist and imbued it with ki. "When you return, you'd better be stronger than this," he said hoarsely, pounding Voldemort's face with the magic interrupting punch, "because I definitely will be."

Voldemort gave one final, agonized scream, and then he was gone, leaving the battered corpse of Quirrell behind. Ranma staggered to his feet, feeling suddenly light-headed. His ki and magical energy separated and a powerful wave of exhaustion and pain swept over him. He struggled to remain standing, to walk over to Harry's prone body, but he stumbled and landed face down on the cold stone floor. Ranma slipped into the darkness, thinking of Hermione and hoping she'd bring help soon.

To Be Continued...in **Chapter 15: Win, Lose, and Draw**

There is only 1 chapter remaining in Book 1...

**Author's Notes:**

Today's word is 'finally', as in 'this chapter is finally done'. Standard excuses, of course, but I'll also admit to not working on this chapter for three weeks because, quite frankly, writing this story has the tendency to monopolize my free time. I like to write, but I have other hobbies, too, that I don't indulge in favor of doing the story. Also, it doesn't help that my favorite fics (see my favorites) are updating so regularly and X3 inspires me to get back into comic books. Oh, and did I mention that a couple original story ideas are also claiming creative time? Anyway, we're down to the last chapter, which I can absolutely guarantee will be delivered before the end of July. I'd say sooner than that, but I'm not even going to think about this story for at least a week. On the upside, expect a lengthy chapter because I need to tie up some loose ends and throw in a few surprises. I think it'll be worth the wait.

Allow me a moment to answer a couple questions. I usually save that for the forum, but I'm not so sure anyone really looks at that, and I'd like to clear some things up. First, I'm very sensitive to balancing this story. That's pretty hard because Ranma's a training freak that I've also turned into a study freak by virtue of his terrible spell casting and friendship with Hermione. It's already imbalanced with his ability to beat the crap out of basically anyone at school (this isn't universal; hopefully I showed that Voldemort could, indeed, beat him). That said, there is already a mechanism in place to keep things balanced, not even counting the 'block' on Ranma's magic that keeps him from casting spells with a wand. I can't really explain it now without giving away a major plot point in a future storyline, but it's there, and Ranma won't be turning into some super wizard any time soon. And I've got plans for dealing with is superior martial arts skills which will, nominally, translate into some serious fisticuffs at Hogwarts. Second, I'd like to note that, while Ranma can detect ki and magic, he still hasn't refined those skills to be able to recognize ki/magic signatures. Third, I need to make it clear about Ranma's magical energy: it actually is less than average for someone his age. This is why he can't do too much without feeling the effects. On the other hand, it regenerates itself faster than average. Ranma realizes this, and he also knows, from his experience with ki, that he can increase his magical energy by 'exercising' it. This has something to do with a major plot point, but I'll leave it at that.

The usual thanks are in order. Kim, you rock, and you know why. Thanks reviewers, especially ones asking good questions. Thanks other readers, drive that post count into the stratosphere :-) See you all in a month!


	15. Win, Lose, And Draw

**Might and Magic:Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard**

A Ranma ½ and Harry Potter Crossover

Book 1: The Map, The Stone, and The Boy Who Lived

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (see J.K. Rowling and Rumiko Takahashi), I'm just making up a new story with them. Please don't sue me (especially for any OOC).

Author's Notes: Please note that this chapter contains and is inspired by portions of Chapter 17 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone for you Brits).

**A Bit of Warning:** This chapter is long. I mean it, it's really, really long. Don't say I didn't warn you...

**Chapter 15: Win, Lose, And Draw**

"So this is what being a cloud feels like." Ranma said aloud to no one in particular. He turned over on his stomach, lazily enjoying the warm sunshine on his back as he floated aimlessly above Hogwarts. He didn't know why or how he was floating, but Ranma didn't spend too much time worrying about it. He felt entirely too relaxed and contented to care very much. He could not have asked for a brighter, more cheerful day, and everything about the world just seemed to be right. Below, students milled about the grounds, enjoying the sunshine and occasionally waving up at him.

Ranma wondered idly where his friends were before spotting Hagrid's large form near his hut. The gamekeeper appeared to be playfully wrestling with Fluffy, and Ranma grinned when he realized Hagrid was cheating by whistling at the three-headed dog. The two paused briefly to wave and bark a greeting up to him. He waved back as he floated away and towards the greenhouses. There, Neville was handling a thick, wriggling vine like a boa constrictor, draping it over his shoulders while stroking it gently. Neville and, oddly, the plant and also waved up at him.

Further up the hill towards the castle, Ron and Hermione were embroiled in a fierce game of wizard chess on a giant chessboard. For some odd reason, Ron was playing worse than normal, and, by the ugly purple bruise down the side of his face, he seemed to have made a wrong move earlier in the game. Spotting Ranma, they also looked up and waved happily in greeting. He'd barely responded before someone on a broom flashed past him; from the crazy dives and feints the rider was doing, Ranma could tell that it was Harry. A flock of silver birds swooped after him, matching his every move with uncanny precision. Ranma floated after them as they rocketed toward the lake, but he felt far too relaxed to actually keep up the chase.

Looking down, he saw a rather comical sight in the shimmering waters of the lake. The giant squid seemed to be swimming with a large, green-skinned troll, which was naked save for a pair of magenta bikini briefs. Ranma doubled over with laughter as it turned over to do a backstroke, leaving large, wave-like ripples in its wake. And then, he noticed something strange floating in the water, like a large black dot. Curious, he floated lower to get a better look. As he descended, Ranma felt his stomach tighten uncomfortably, chasing away his cheerful, relaxed mood. He suddenly didn't want to see what was floating there. He wanted to go anywhere but down, but his body refused to float higher. Panic gripped him and he couldn't close his eyes to the gruesome sight.

The body of a bald man floated face down, its black cloak billowing out on the water. The man's limbs drifted listlessly, and Ranma noticed, with a start, that the right arm was heavily bandaged. His heart jumped into his throat as his eyes traveled from the obviously broken neck to the back of the man's head. A terrible, snake-like face leered up at him, a look of pure malice chiseled on its features. It's eyelids suddenly flew open, revealing burning red eyes filled with hatred. The face looked at him for a moment and then, with a snarl, the body exploded out of the water at him.

"NO!" Ranma yelled, lashing out with his arms and legs. He heard something rip loudly and then a great crash. He sat up with a jerk, his eyes flying open as he looked wildly around, breathing raggedly. The snake-faced corpse was nowhere to be seen. He saw only the end of the bed and a slightly opened privacy curtain. It looked awfully like the hospital wing.

"Ranma!" he heard a familiar voice exclaim before strong arms grasped him in a hug.

"M-mum?" Ranma said blearily, returning the hug as a wave of relief washed away the panic he'd felt a moment ago.

"I'm so glad you're awake." she said pulling away and looking him over with relief.

"Mum, what're you doing here?" Ranma asked.

"Professor Dumbledore called early this morning and told me you'd been injured. So, of course, I rushed over, even though he assured me you would be all right and that it wasn't as bad as at Halloween. I'd almost say he didn't _want _ me to come, though that's-"

"Wait, you knew about Halloween before I told you?"

"Of course I did. The Hogwarts staff is obliged to inform parents of anything important concerning their children, and getting hurt by a troll counts, I'd say. So here I've been since 4 am, wondering what on earth you've been up to to get yourself hurt so badly _again._"

Ranma bit his lip and looked away quickly. Why hadn't anyone told her? He didn't want to tell her what had happened, what he had done. Nodoka didn't seem to notice her son's hesitation, however.

"I'll fetch Madame Pomfrey. I dare say she'll want to give you a thorough check now you're awake. And after that," she cast an imperious glance over him, "you can tell me what happened."

Nodoka brushed aside the curtains and headed up the ward, leaving her son with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Ranma knew he couldn't tell her the truth. It was hard enough already, holding it all in, and he could barely look her in the eye. He might have brooded on his situation more if he hadn't heard tell-tale signs that others, three people, to be precise, were nearby. In fact, from the shuffling of their clothes and their breathing, they were so close that he should've been able to see them. So that meant... Ranma focused his magical sight directly at the empty space beyond the curtain.

"You lot can come out." Ranma called out, flashing a small grin despite himself. "I know you're under the invisibility cloak."

There was a small gasp and a lot of shuffling before a freckly face appeared out of nowhere. "Bloody hell, how did you know we were here?" Ron asked incredulously, pulling off Harry's invisibility cloak and revealing Hermione and, to his surprise, Neville as well.

"I heard you." Ranma replied with a small smirk. "But where's Harry?"

The smiles quickly slid away from their faces. "He's in the bed next to you, mate. We were just looking in on him when you woke up. Scared the hell out of Hermione, you did." Ron said.

Ranma's heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong with him? Is he going to be all right?"

"Madame Pomfrey said he needed rest, but he should be okay." Hermione said, trying to sound upbeat. "To be honest, it was _you _we were worried about, what with all your injuries. Madame Pomfrey nearly had a fit when Dumbledore brought you in."

"Dumbledore? But I thought he was in London."

"We did too, but he showed up as soon as we'd closed the door on that three-headed dog." said Neville. "He barely stopped long enough for us to tell him where you two were."

"Honestly, he seemed to already know what was going on anyway." Ron added, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Anyway, what happened in there? Hermione said something about You-Know-Who -"

"Ron, someone's coming!" Hermione hissed suddenly. They could hear the sound of a door opening at the end of the ward.

"Quick, under the cloak or Pomfrey'll send you off." Ranma said. They were already ahead of him, promptly disappearing beneath the cloak and, he hoped, moving out of the way. The acted none too soon, for within moments Madame Pomfrey and Nodoka were at the foot of his bed.

"Ah, finally awake, are we?" said the matron, pulling out her wand. "And how are you feeling, Mr. Saotome?"

Ranma concentrated a moment, letting his ki and magic flow throughout his body. Everything seemed in order; in fact, he probably had slightly more ki and magic, likely due to his exertions the night before. "Uh, fine." he said just as his stomach let out a loud growl. "Maybe a bit hungry."

Madame Pomfrey raised her eyebrow at him. "Yes, I imagine so, with all of the damage that needed fixing. It was quite enough to be getting on with." she said as she began waving her wand at him.

Ranma frowned at this statement. "But I wasn't hurt that badly. It was just my arms, and a cut on my stomach, and maybe a slight concussion."

"It was quite a bit more than that, young man." the nurse replied rather stiffly. "In addition to your broken arm, the cuts on your arms and stomach, and a _full concussion_, you had extensive muscle and joint damage the likes of which I haven't seen in some time. How you managed _that_ is quite beyond me." She frowned as she cast another spell whose results didn't seem to be satisfactory to her. "To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised you're even awake; even with the potions I gave you, you should still be recovering..."

"I heal fast." Ranma said with a shrug. "Does that mean I'm okay? Am I free to go?"

"I should keep you for observation, but nothing seems wrong with you, so I suppose you can." Madame Pomfrey said, sounding like his total recovery was quite an affliction. "But not before the headmaster has spoken with you."

"Dumbledore? He's coming here?"

"_Professor_ Dumbledore." corrected Nodoka. "And, yes, he's on his way. He instructed us to contact him if either of you awoke. I suspect _he'd_ like to hear what you were just about to tell me about last night."

And, just like that, they were back on the dreaded subject. Ranma squirmed slightly under her gaze, trying to think of any way to forestall the conversation.

"You are quite right, Nodoka." said a kindly voice. Everyone in the room jumped, including the three Gryffindors still hidden across the aisle. Dumbledore stood there, smiling cheerfully at them, his eyes twinkling slightly from behind his half-moon spectacles. Ranma stared at him, only half surprised that the wizard had managed to approach without him hearing or detecting anything. "I trust Mr. Saotome has made a full recovery, Poppy?" The witch reluctantly nodded in response. "Ah, splendid. Now, please don't think me rude, but I'd like to talk to Mr. Saotome _alone_."

Nodoka looked taken aback. "But Albus, what is there to discuss with Ranma that I can't hear?"

"Nothing at all, Nodoka, but I would like to get as complete a recounting of the events as possible, and it has been my experience that the presence of parents is a bit of an obstacle in these cases." he replied reassuringly. "Please rest assured that all will come to light shortly. I must ask that you trust me in this."

Nodoka turned to Madame Pomfrey for support, but the matron as already making her way back to the office. "Oh, very well." she sighed. "But do hurry, _I'd_ like to talk to my son as well."

"Of course; this won't take long." Dumbledore said, inclining his head to her as she swept back up the ward towards Pomfrey's office. Conjuring a squashy armchair with a flick of his wand, the headmaster took a seat next to the bed. He smiled kindly at Ranma as he spoke. "Good afternoon, Mr. Saotome. I don't suppose you've seen your friends this afternoon?" At Ranma's inquisitive look, he continued. "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom, and Ms. Granger?"

"Uh, I guess they're around." Ranma said casually, glancing at the place where his magical sight told them they were standing.

"Ah, yes, hopefully on their way to class. I imagine Professor McGonagall would be most disappointed if they were to lose points by being late, even if they had been visiting their friends in the hospital wing." Ranma wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Dumbledore wink. He definitely saw the blob of magical energy jump slightly and start to slowly move up the ward towards the entrance to the hospital wing. Dumbledore seemed rather oblivious to the shuffling steps as they receded, though his mischievous smile said otherwise.

"You could see them." Ranma remarked, again only half-surprised at the revelation.

"Them? I'm sure I don't know to whom you're referring." Dumbledore replied, but the mischievous smile persisted. Ranma was certain that Dumbledore knew they had been in the room, but he didn't press the issue. "Well, Mr. Saotome-"

"Uh, if you don't mind, Professor, I'd prefer 'Ranma'."

"Very well, Ranma." Dumbledore said with a nod. "It seems you and your friends certainly had quite the adventure last night. I have, of course, spoken with them, with the exception of Harry who, as I'm sure you know, is still unconscious after last night's events. I think I have a fairly complete idea of what transpired, but I would very much like to hear your version of the story, especially as you are the only other person, besides

Harry, to have seen Quirrell and Voldemort alive."

The words shocked Ranma to the core. He felt as if he'd fallen into ice water and his chest constricted with panic. He _knew_. Dumbledore knew what had happened, that he'd killed Quirrell, that he was a murderer. Ranma clenched the bed covers tightly, shivering uncontrollably and looking very much like a cornered cat. Dumbledore's smile faded a bit, seeing Ranma under duress, and spoke gently to him. "Ranma, please, calm down. It's not your fault, what happened. No one is blaming or accusing you, nor are you in any trouble whatsoever. I would simply like to know what happened."

"It's not that simple." Ranma replied and, for the first time in a long time, tears began spilling down his face. "I killed him, Professor. I killed Quirrell..."

A shadow seemed to pass over Dumbledore's face and, for a moment, he didn't seem to know what to say. "Ranma -"

"I didn't mean to, Professor! I didn't have a choice!" Ranma sobbed. "He was killing Harry, and I couldn't let him kill my friend, so I kicked him. I just wanted him to get away from Harry, but I kicked him too hard and he...he-"

"He broke his neck against the wall." Dumbledore finished quietly. Ranma nodded, burying his face in his hands and sobbing quietly. He didn't know how long he cried before Dumbledore spoke again. "You did a great thing, Ranma." Ranma looked sharply up at him, incredulity plain on his face. "No, not in killing Professor Quirrell, but in putting your life on the line in order to save your friend. You did the right thing. No one will blame you for your actions."

Ranma couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had killed someone, but Dumbledore seemed to just brush it off. He shook his head angrily. "I blame me! I killed someone!"

Dumbledore sighed tiredly, suddenly looking far older. "Yes, you did. It is unfortunate that you were forced to do so, especially at your age. But I do not believe that you intended to kill Quirrell, nor do I believe that you did it willingly. And it is quite evident that you are remorseful and, given another chance, you would not have killed him."

"What difference does it make? I still killed him. I'm still a murderer!"

"No, you are not, for all the reasons I've given." Dumbledore said. "That, Ranma, is the difference between you from Lord Voldemort, the real murderer of Quirrell."

"Wha- how is Voldemort the one who killed Quirrell? He didn't kicked himself across the room!"

"It is true that you were ultimately the instrument of Quirrell's demise," Dumbledore admitted sadly, "but it was Voldemort who set him on the path that led to you. His hand in Quirrell's death was far more important than anything you did. In fact, I would go so far as to say that yours was an act of mercy; you put Quirrell out of his misery."

This statement thoroughly confused Ranma and he said as much. Dumbledore stroked his beard and cast a significant look at him. "To put it simply, the late professor was dying a slow and painful death at the hands of his master. As you and Ms. Granger so admirably deduced, he was, indeed, possessed by Voldemort, though not involuntarily. Quirrell was no innocent; he willingly allowed Voldemort into his body. Only Muggles, you see, can be involuntarily possessed by spirits or poltergeists, as they lack the magic to defend themselves from possession. For a wizard or witch to be possessed, they must consciously allow the spirit in. This union has its advantages, but a very grave disadvantage. Hosting two magical entities damages the body on a fundamental level. As I understand it, after several continuous months of possession, the effects are rather similar to particularly aggressive cancer throughout the body. I'm sure you noticed that Quirrell looked particularly off-color the last few months."

Ranma's eyes lit up. "So that's why they were killing the unicorns! Harry and I saw them in the forest, drinking from a dead unicorn."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Ms. Granger made the same connection when we spoke earlier, after she mentioned the incident from your detention. I am curious as to why you did not share this information with a teacher."

"I-I thought Hagrid told you. He was there."

"Well, yes, Hagrid did inform me of the situation, but he did not mention a hooded figure drinking the blood from unicorns." said Dumbledore. "Perhaps, in all the excitement, you and Harry simply forgot to include that bit of information."

Ranma nodded; he didn't remember telling Hagrid or hearing Harry tell him either. He'd simply assumed that Hagrid had heard about it, but this revelation put things into a different perspective. "So...you didn't know about Quirrell at all?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I had my suspicions, of course, but nothing more. Had I known, I'd have confronted Quirrell immediately. He was far too dangerous to remain in the school."

"I'm sorry, Professor. We should've told you. If we had, none of this would've happened."

"No, it is I who should be apologizing." said Dumbledore, clasping his hands in front of his face. "I should not have brought the Philosopher's Stone here. Though Hogwarts was the safest place for it, doing so put you and your fellow students in danger, and as I am charged with your safety, my decision was inexcusable." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Try to understand, as you come to terms with what has happened, that, ultimately, the choices we make show us what we are. Voldemort chose to go after the Stone through his servant Quirrell. Quirrell chose to ally himself with Voldemort and to try to kill Harry. And you," he smiled with something like pride, "you chose to protect the Stone and, more importantly, your friend. Do you not see a difference?"

"I...I guess so..." Ranma said without much enthusiasm.

"The taking of a life is a grave matter indeed. You understand and accept this fact, which is why I ask you not to overly burden yourself with guilt as you try to come to grips with what has happened. In due time, when you've truly thought it over, you will understand." Dumbledore said kindly. Ranma wiped his still wet face and nodded.

They sat in silence for a while before Ranma, growing antsy, spoke up. "Sir, what's wrong with Harry? Hermione – I mean – I heard that he was still unconscious."

Dumbledore sighed deeply. "We really do not know, at this time. It may simply be, as Madame Pomfrey has suggested, a case of magical exhaustion, but, with Lord Voldemort involved, there may be more to it. Whatever happened, it took quite a bit out of Harry, and he was nearly killed. I was actually hoping that you could shed some light on the situation." He steepled his hands before his face. "Was Harry awake when you entered the chamber?"

Ranma nodded slowly. "He was on the ground, wrestling with Quirrell. It looked like he was barely keeping him off, but Quirrell was the one screaming, like he was being burned or something. But I thought he was killing Harry, so I-"

"Of course..." replied Dumbledore. By his tone, it seemed like Ranma had given him some kind of confirmation, and from the look on the headmaster's face, it was good news. He did not, however, share it with Ranma. "Well, that does seem to answer a question or two of mine. I wonder if you would answer a few more?"

Ranma nodded, prepared to detail his fight with Boss Troll or even how he'd killed Quirrell. Dumbledore's first question, however, surprised him. "Why did you insist that Mr. Longbottom accompany the four of you?"

Ranma looked rather stunned for a moment. "I, err, well, I knew he would be good in a fight. We've been training together for a few months now." he said hesitantly. "And he's my friend, and I couldn't leave him petrified on the common room floor. I'd hate it if someone I called a friend did that to me. I thought he had a right to know what was going on. It just seemed like the right thing to do."

"Indeed. Loyalty to one's friend is quite admirable." Dumbledore said approvingly. "Moving along, your friends have told me all of what happened through the first four protections on the Philosopher's Stone. There are some gaps in the course of events as the next three obstacles were encountered which, I believe, you can fill in. For instance, Miss Granger mentioned being attacked by a rather large, green troll before you began attacking it and insisted that she and Harry move on." Ranma nodded. "And what of the other troll, the one found dead with a large wound to its neck?"

"I don't know, sir, it was dead when we arrived. I saw blood on the other troll's sword, so my only guess is that it killed the other one."

Dumbledore stroked his beard a few times and nodded. "It does seem likely, though I did not see the sword in question before Boss Troll left. I cannot understand why Quirrell would summon both a mountain troll and a forest troll, knowing their tendency to kill one another on sight."

"I think I know why, Professor." said Ranma. "I think he was planning for me."

"Really? And why do you think that?"

"I'm the one who broke his arm, when we faced each other out in the forest. He probably remembered how we killed his other troll from Halloween, too. So he-"

"Summoned the largest troll he could find." Dumbledore looked rather impressed. "I never new young Quirrell could perform a summon; he was, after all, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and summons of this nature are generally considered Dark Arts. Still, even if I had known, I'd never have believed he would be powerful enough to summon the troll he did. With Voldemort's power, however, it was probably quite simple."

Ranma, again, looked at Dumbledore with amazement. "You said his name, Voldemort. It's just...well, Harry's the only other person I've heard who'll say 'Voldemort', besides you."

"Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself." Dumbledore said sagely. "Despite having faced him twice, you seem to have no trouble saying it either."

"It's not his name that I've got to worry about; it hasn't got any power, he does." Ranma shrugged. "But I'm not afraid of him either, even with all the power he has. I've been around powerful people all my life. You have to respect their power, not fear it, or you'll never beat them."

"That is very wise of you. But, if all goes well, it may be your destiny to never face him again."

"Maybe, but he hasn't given me a choice. Voldemort tried to kill me twice, and he promised he'd keep trying until I'm dead. That's why I'm going to train harder than ever. When he comes back, I'm going to be ready."

"Well, if people continue to oppose him, as you and your friends did, that won't be entirely necessary."

"And what if they don't?" Ranma asked darkly, "My father always told me to hope for the best and train for the worst."

"A very wise...if paranoid, outlook." Dumbledore remarked with a small nod. "Very well then, on to my next query. From the accounts of your teachers and your friends, as well as the fact that you entered the final chamber without drinking the correct potion, it would appear that you've learned to use your magic. I'm quite curious as to how you've managed to remove the block on your magic."

Ranma hesitated for a moment, wondering how much he should tell Dumbledore. His wandless abilities were potentially quite an advantage, especially the fewer people knew about them. On the other hand, he got the impression that he could not lie to Dumbledore, nor could he hide his skills from the man's sharp mind. Dumbledore was also considered the greatest wizard of the age, so telling him would probably actually help him learn to use his abilities better. And the fact remained that, so far, the headmaster had been nothing but trustworthy and helpful. There was simply no reason, at this time, to hold out.

"Well, I haven't actually removed it, Professor." he admitted. "It's more like I've found a way around it." Dumbledore's eyebrows raised and he looked slightly intrigued. "See, I learned that I _can _do magic like everyone else, only _without a wand._"

Whatever Dumbledore had been expecting to hear, this apparently wasn't among the top choices. Ranma could see he was trying not to look overtly incredulous. "Without a wand? Wandless magic is very difficult and requires far more concentration and force of will than someone your age has." he said carefully. "Perhaps you are thinking more along the lines of accidental magic? The two are often confused."

Ranma shook his head. "No, Professor, this isn't accidental. Watch." He focused his magic into his right index finger and poked the bedspread. Within seconds, the spread changed from a dull beige to navy blue. Ranma grinned as he watched Dumbledore's expression go from doubtful to shock, then to amazement, and finally settling on a mix of impressed and curious.

"Well done, Ranma." he said appreciatively. "When I asked you to work on your magic, I must confess that this is not quite what I had in mind. If I may ask, when and how did you discover this talent? I don't recall hearing about any of this, or anything else, for that matter, from Professor McGonagall."

"Oh, right...we, err, haven't been on good terms since that whole thing with Hagrid's dragon.." Ranma admitted. "Actually, once I figured out that magic and ki are both life energies, the rest just made sense."

He told Dumbledore about using his knowledge of ki to train his magic and how he accidentally discovered that he could channel magic into an object. He did make sure, however, not to mention Freya's involvement, mostly to keep his training room a secret. He doubted the headmaster would approve of him appropriating an abandoned classroom for himself. When he had finished, Dumbledore looked rather impressed.

"Remarkable. I'd nearly forgotten about your ability to manipulate ki, which, if I understand correctly, requires the same concentration and focus as wandless magic. You certainly did the thing properly." he said, his eyes twinkling. "Your problem with distance will diminish with practice, as will your ability to do more magic without exhausting yourself. Of course, your magic will be far more effective when using a wand, but since your block seems to remain intact while using a wand, this will have to do." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm still rather surprised I am only just hearing about this. Wandless magic would be rather a big deal from any student, and especially from one who has shown difficulty performing magic with a wand."

"I thought so too. Someone told me that only really powerful wizards could do it. If that's true, Professor, I'd rather keep it quiet.

"It is true that this particular form of wandless magic is generally practiced by more powerful wizards, but there are forms that use hand seals or special gauntlets, much as we use wands. However, I'm curious as to why you'd want to keep it a secret."

"Most people think I'm rubbish at magic already. If I keep this secret, it'll give me an advantage."

"An advantage?" asked Dumbledore.

"In a fight."

"I see. And do you expect to have many fights?"

"Yes." Ranma said truthfully. "Even though this year has been much better than usual, trouble always seems to find me."

This seemed to amuse Dumbledore momentarily. "Yes, it does, doesn't it?" he said, smiling faintly. "Well, I see no reason I should be unable to keep your confidence, unless of course I am led to believe that your new ability is being abused. And, while we are on the subject of fighting, I'm afraid that our policy against you fighting with other students must continue for the time being. I was inclined to suspend it, since you've governed your skills very responsibly this year, but in light of last night's events, many would think it irresponsible if I did so. I do hope you'll understand."

Ranma sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "It's no big deal. After everything that's happened this year, no one at Hogwarts is stupid enough to start anything with me, and even if they did, I have my magic. I don't think you'll have to worry about it next year."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Well, that's taken care of then. I believe those were all the questions I had."

Ranma looked confused for a moment. "Sir, don't you want to know how I figured out it was Quirrell behind everything?"

Dumbledore smiled kindly but shook his head. "Ah, well I've deduced that particular point, thanks to Miss Granger. She told me what you told her. I can see how you put two and two together. That you did so in the state you were in is quite commendable."

"Oh," Ranma said, slightly deflated. "Professor, could I, err, ask a couple questions?"

"You certainly may." Dumbledore said, inclining his head in Ranma's direction.

"The Stone...it wasn't real, was it?" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows inquiringly. "It's just, I was thinking that the obstacles were really easy to beat. I mean, we beat them, and we're just first-years."

Dumbledore didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his robes and pulled out a blood red stone about the size of a small fist. It was strangely dull and brilliant at the same time, the sunlight both reflecting and penetrating. He smiled approvingly again. "Another fine deduction, Ranma. This is the real Stone. The other was merely bait. The obstacles were not meant to stop, but to slow down."

"But why? I thought Hogwarts was the safest place to bring something for safe-keeping."

"This castle is more secure than Gringott's." Dumbledore said confidently. "However, I wanted to catch the person, whom I'd suspected was a member of staff for some time. Having no proof, I could do nothing. Knowing that the obstacles would be no secret among the staff, I asked Hagrid to set his dog at the beginning and secretly replaced the Stone with my fake."

"But sir, wouldn't Quirrell have noticed it was a fake?"

"Eventually, yes, but, thanks to the last obstacle, _my_ obstacle, he would never have gotten his hands on it."

Ranma thought back over the obstacles they'd faced, but none seemed to match up to the headmaster. "I didn't see anything in the room." he said.

"I imagine you were a bit distracted." Dumbledore replied, sounding slightly amused. "I placed the fake in a mirror which shows you your hearts desire."

Unbidden, a snippet of conversation from months ago flashed in Ranma's head. "Erised!"

"Ah, I see Harry told you of it. Well, the spell I put on it would never give you the fake unless you wanted to find, but not use, the Stone. If you pardon my lack of modesty, it was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something." said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "You had another question?"

Ranma nodded. "I was wondering what happened to that troll."

Dumbledore's eyes lit up with amusement. "Boss Troll is currently nursing his injuries (and his pride) in his home forest."

"He escaped?" Ranma asked with alarm.

"Oh no, I allowed him to return home after he repeatedly refused to allow Madame Pomfrey to address his injuries."

"W-what? Why?" Ranma stammered incredulously. "He tried to kill us!"

"Of course he did. The person who summoned him ordered him to do so and he was obliged to carry out those orders." said Dumbledore. "It was not at all personal, I assure you."

"I bet." grumbled Ranma, absently rubbing his stomach.

"You may be interested to know that Boss Troll inquired about you before he returned to his forest domain. As I'm sure you've learned during your extensive martial arts training, powerful people are most impressed by those who can defeat them. It would seem that you've earned the esteem of a very powerful troll." Dumbledore again sounded impressed. "He asked me to pass on his apology for the injuries he caused. Further, he has extended to you an open invitation to visit his forest. I should note that this is a rare honor. And, incidentally, Boss Troll praised your skills. I believe the term he used was 'warrior mage'."

Ranma wasn't quite sure how to respond to this bit of news. Boss Troll _had_ tried to kill him, after all. On the other hand, he had been under the directions of the wizard who summoned him, so Ranma couldn't seriously blame the troll for what happened. The prospect of visiting a forest full of smelly trolls wasn't exactly appealing, but it certainly couldn't hurt to have big, super strong fighters that he could train with...

A cough from Dumbledore brought him back from his musings. "Sorry, Professor, I was lost in thought."

"Not to worry. I often find myself in a similar position." Dumbledore replied with a small smile. "Was there anything else?"

Ranma nodded. "Professor, I don't know what to tell my mum. I'm afraid of what she'll think if I tell her the truth."

Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at him. "The truth." he said with a sigh. "It is a great and terrible thing, and therefore must be treated with great caution."

"So I should lie, then?"

"I would certainly not advocate that, especially to your mother." Dumbledore replied. "However, I don't see why keeping certain details to one's self would constitute lying, don't you agree? It is, after all, quite a bit to take in."

Ranma looked at him, chewing his lip pensively. "So...what _exactly_ shouldn't I tell her."

"You should tell Nodoka whatever you feel comfortable telling her. After all, you would know better than I what she can handle." he replied. "However, might I suggest gradually discussing the topic of Lord Voldemort. It is my experience that most witches and wizards are quite uncomfortable talking about a defeated Lord Voldemort, not to mention a potentially restored Lord Voldemort. And with what happened to her parents, I'm afraid it may be a bit much for your mother."

"What? What happened to my grandparents?"

Dumbledore frowned, then looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Ranma, I thought you already knew..."

"Knew what?" Ranma said, now beginning to worry.

Dumbledore looked at him a moment, as if considering whether to continue. "I'm afraid that I'm not the one to tell you." Dumbledore replied with a heavy sigh. "I'm not surprised your mother has kept it to herself, but she owes you an explanation. If you really wish to know, ask her, but do so tactfully. It is not a pleasant memory, I'm sorry to say."

Ranma nodded, his mind racing with speculation. What could possibly have happened to his grandparents? A thousand terrible possibilities came unbidden to his mind. No, he wouldn't be telling his mother that he'd faced the most powerful dark wizard in a century, at least not anytime soon. He'd have to ease into mentioning it, and well away from the school in case Nodoka overreacted.

"Well, Ranma, I'm afraid I must take my leave before I push your mother's patience too far, an action which, I've been told, has been known to shorten one's life expectancy considerably." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling as he rose from his squashy armchair, which promptly vanished. It wasn't a moment too soon either, for Nodoka had nearly reached them and she had a somewhat dangerous look on her face. Dumbledore smiled serenely at her, oblivious to the danger. "Ah, Nodoka, I was just coming to fetch you. I trust we haven't kept you waiting long?"

"Oh no, of course not. It's not like a mother should expect to be the first to speak to her child after he's been through so much." she replied with no small amount of sarcasm.

"Ah, I knew I could count on you to be understanding." said Dumbledore appreciatively, totally missing that Nodoka was not being understanding in the least. "I'm sure you have much to speak with young Ranma about, so I will not intrude any further. Nodoka, please stop by my office before you head back to London, if you don't mind." And with a slight bow, he swept up the ward and out of the hospital wing.

Nodoka stared after him, looking slightly stunned. "He does that _every time_. And I'm most certainly _not_ going back to London with you in this state." she said peevishly, shaking her head. Pulling up a nearby chair, she sat down and looked intently at him, giving Ranma the feeling of being trapped.

"But mum," Ranma said carefully, "Madame Pomfrey said I was fine. She said I could leave, remember? So that means you can go back home, right?"

"Hmph...I suppose." She conceded. "But I'm not going anywhere until you explain what you were up to last night."

She pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down, staring imperiously at him. Ranma took a deep breath and began telling her everything from the beginning, with some strategic omissions. When he'd finally finished, she no longer seemed slightly angry. Instead, she looked at Ranma with distinct pride and threw her arms around him again.

"Mum! Can't breathe!" Ranma choked. She released him but continued to smile affectionately at him.

"I'm sorry, Ranma-kun, you just remind me of your father, rushing off to fight like that." she said fondly. "I know I was sorted into Gryffindor, but you get your courage from him."

Ranma couldn't help it; he laughed out loud. "Are you sure we're talking about the right Genma Saotome? The one who was kowtowing to you all summer?"

"Don't be silly, he's always done that." Nodoka said airily. "Don't underestimate your father. He can be courageous when he needs to be. And he raised you, and you're as brave, if not braver, than he."

"If you say so." Ranma acquiesced, though, from his experiences with his father, he wasn't quite ready to agree with her. His stomach yowled loudly again, breaking him away from these thoughts. Nodoka looked at him, her eyebrows raised.

"I suppose it's past time we fed the beast." she commented with a wry smile.

They spent the rest of the afternoon fairly pleasantly, mostly with Ranma listening while his mother told him about how things were going back in London. As he was occupied with eating (and Nodoka frowned on speed eating), and he'd already told her most of what he'd been up to since Christmas break, Ranma didn't mind not contributing much to the conversation. Eventually, they heard the last bell of the day signaling the end of the school day and, not five minutes later, they heard Madame Pomfrey huffily admit three people. Ranma introduced Neville and Ron to his mother.

"Oh no, don't tell me. Hermione, I know, of course (lovely to see you again, dear); and Neville, we've met before (lovely to see you, too); and you must be Ronald Weasley (it's a pleasure). Ranma's told me so much about you." The two boys seemed shocked that Nodoka recognized them, but Hermione didn't miss a beat.

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Saotome." she said pleasantly, shaking Nodoka's hand.

"I was telling Ranma that you all should be proud of yourselves." Nodoka said kindly. "I'm sure others, your parents especially, might scold you for getting into a dangerous situation, but obviously you all handled yourselves well."

She looked at her watch and shook her head. "Goodness, time flies. I was going to stay longer, Ranma-kun, but you seem to be doing better and, to be honest, I'm sure you'd rather not have me doting all over you while your friend are here." Ranma turned rather red as she gave him one last hug. "Well, I'm off. Owl me if you need anything, otherwise your father and I will see you at King's Cross in a couple of weeks." With one last wave to them all, she swept up the ward and out of the hospital wing.

After Nodoka left, it took a bit of convincing to get Madame Pomfrey to release him, but since there was nothing wrong with him, she grudgingly let Ranma go. Together, the four first-years strolled back to Gryffindor Tower, not particularly eager to get there any sooner than necessary. Hermione informed him that stories about what happened had been spreading through the school like wildfire, and that they'd spent the day being badgered by people who wanted to hear their version of events. Ranma didn't look forward to dealing with that, especially from Gryffindors, but he, unlike his friends, had no qualms about telling people to shove off.

"Well, you're looking none the worse for wear. I was under the impression you were badly injured." remarked the Fat Lady as they approached her portrait.

"I heal fast." Ranma said with a slight shrug. He was getting tired of repeating that to everyone. "Cavorting Kneazles."

"Indeed." she said, swinging forward. One by one, the four friends entered the common room, Ranma bringing up the rear. Since it was Friday and exams had finished, almost everyone was free that afternoon, but most students opted to spend their time out in the school grounds instead of the common rooms. Gryffindor Tower was no exception with only a dozen or so students, some of whom looked ready to venture out. As he entered the room, their chatter quickly died down to whispers. In truth, this was something of an improvement over their behavior from just a day prior, but Ranma didn't really care. He only wanted to change clothes and get a bath, after which the four of them would return to see if Harry had awakened.

"Ranma, could we, err, have a word?"

Ranma felt a flash of anger as he turned to face Fred, the owner of the voice, who stood with George and Lee. The three boys looked embarrassed and shifted uncomfortably. He scowled at them impatiently. "How about two? _Shove off_."

"Come on, Ranma, don't be like that." Lee said in what should have been a jaunty tone but came out slightly shaky.

"Like what? Angry?" he snapped. "Why shouldn't I be, you drew wands on me, remember?"

"What?" exclaimed Hermione, Ron, and Neville incredulously.

"What were we supposed to do? We thought you were stealing the map." Fred said the last word as low as possible.

"I told you I was borrowing it and that I needed it for something important." Ranma said dismissively. "Guess what important thing I was talking about."

"Mate, if you'd just asked us. You should've trusted us..." George trailed off, withering under Ranma's blazing glare.

"_Trusted you?_ I couldn't trust you to believe me and stick with me months ago! Why should I have yesterday?" said Ranma. "Not that you'd have believed me anyway."

"Wait, wait, back up." Neville said loudly. He looked stonily at the twins and Lee. "What's this about you three pulling wands on Ranma?"

"It's not your business, Neville. This is between us and Ranma." Lee replied dismissively.

"Oh yeah?" Neville's tone suddenly went very hard, "Well I think it _is_ my business, if you three had something that could've helped us last night. It might've kept Harry out of the hospital wing if you didn't let your stupid fight with Ranma get in the way."

Ranma was the only person not shocked by Neville's outburst. Hermione and Ron stared at him as if they weren't sure someone hadn't switched places with him. The twins and Lee simply gaped at him, as did many of the people within earshot. Shrinking under his glare, the three Marauders looked down at their hands, properly chastised. Ranma couldn't help but do so as well; Neville had been talking to them, but he realized that he was at fault as well. Fred was the first to speak again.

"We're sorry, mate, we really are." he said sincerely. "You were right. We should've listened to you. We should've helped you."

George gave a apologetic half-grin. "It's not often we admit it, but we were idiots yesterday, especially about threatening you with the...err, the thing."

For a moment, Ranma was worried that George would let slip about his fear of cats. When he didn't, it cooled his anger slightly, but not quite enough to keep back his next jab. "Yeah, all right, I can agree on that."

"Ranma!" Hermione said, half-warning and half-shocked. "You could be a bit less hostile. They _are_ trying to apologize."

"So what, that makes everything better? We'll just tell that to Harry, whenever he comes out of his _coma_."

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Ron asked quietly.

"No, he's right, little bro'." Fred sighed, dropping heavily into a nearby seat. "And when everyone else gets wind of it, our names will be mud."

"Come again?" Ron said, blinking. "Why's that?"

"Quidditch. Our last match is tomorrow, remember?" replied Lee, nodding sullenly at the dawning comprehension on their faces. "When the rest of the house finds out we could've helped you guys..."

Hermione frowned. "But there's no way you could've known." she said.

"Won't matter. If Harry's out, there's a better than likely chance we could lose." added Fred.

Ranma didn't feel much sympathy for them. "Yea, well you'd better hope for bad weather or a miracle." he said. "Otherwise, I doubt you lot could last a day without everyone liking you."

To their credit, the three boys only slightly reacted to the jab. "Actually," Lee replied evenly, "we were hoping that _you_ would take Harry's place if he's not able to play tomorrow."

The effect of his words were immediate. Neville, Ron, and Hermione all looked quite stunned. Ranma, on the other hand, crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. For a moment, he seriously wondered whether they were playing a trick on him, but something about their expectant expressions said that they were serious. They genuinely seemed hopeful that he wouldn't dismiss the idea. Ranma decided to play along and see what they had to say. "And how am I going to do that? I'm not on the team, remember?"

"You _weren't_ on the team. We talked to Wood, and he says he'll let you back on if Harry can't play on Saturday."

"Oh yeah? Well that's awful generous of Wood, _allowing_ me back to help the team, but _only_ if Harry's out." Ranma said, punctuated with a derisive snort. "Well you can tell Wood I said no thanks, especially since he can't seem to talk to me face to face."

"Ranma, are you mad?" Ron nearly shouted. "You'd be the only other first year to play Quidditch-"

"In a hundred years, yeah, I know. Who cares?" Ranma said with distinct indifference. Ron goggled at him, unable to see how anyone could turn down such an opportunity. "Anyway, you've got to reserve players, go bother them about the stupid game."

"That's what we're trying to tell you. Garibaldi and Sotheby have got detention with Snape for the next week, including Saturday"

"Including Saturday?" asked Ranma, his curiosity piqued. There wasn't much one could do that warranted Saturday detention.

"They were caught by Snape in a rather compromising-" said George.

"-to put it mildly-" added Fred, who couldn't help but snicker.

"-position, if you know what I mean."

Ranma looked at them with confusion before the meaning sunk in. "Oh. _Ohhh._ Okay, now that's disgusting." he said, shaking his head. "That's interesting and all, but I don't see why I should care."

"Come on, Ranma. We need you. Gryffindor needs you." pleaded George.

"Oh, well since you put it that way," Ranma said, feigning concern, "then I _definitely_ won't. Gryffindor can rot, for all I care."

Hermione gasped and the others looked thunderstruck. "You don't mean that." Neville said quietly. "What about loyalty to the house?"

"House loyalty? That's a laugh." Ranma sneered. "Only a few people in this house have been loyal to us since we lost those points, Neville. We don't owe them anything, especially not loyalty." He turned to the twins. "Tell Wood that. Tell everyone for all I care. I'm not as worried about my popularity as you are."

"Look, Ranma, just think about it, all right?" George said, but he didn't sound very hopeful. "Come on, Fred, Lee, let's go break the news to Wood. We might have to put a body bind on to keep him from trying to kill himself." They shuffled out of the common room, looking quite dejected.

"Well that's settled." Ranma said as they left. "Let me just run upstairs, and I'll – what?" His three friends were looking, almost glaring, at him, and they didn't seem too happy. "What? What'd I do?"

"They said they were sorry. They need you help." Ron answered. "What's so bad about helping them? It's not like you don't want to play Quidditch or anything. And Gryffindor really needs you."

"Again with that! Why am I supposed to care?" Ranma thundered.

"Because _we_ care." said Hermione. "And I think you do too, deep down."

"Ranma, if you keep holding this grudge against everyone, isn't that the same thing they've been doing to us?" Neville said firmly. "It's not right, but they're sort of justified. Nobody but us knows why we were out that night."

Ranma shook his head stubbornly. "That doesn't mean they should've treated us like rubbish since then. Why would I want to play for people like that?"

"You don't have to play for them, mate. Play for yourself. You know you miss Quidditch, I could see it when we got on those brooms last night." said Ron.

"Play for us." Hermione smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "And Harry. I'm sure he'd like to know you went out there when he couldn't. We'd all like to see you help Gryffindor win."

Ranma looked at Hermione, Neville, and Ron, all of whom wore hopeful expressions. Inside, his desire to get revenge by letting the other Gryffindors suffer was being overpowered by his desire not to let his friends down. He let out a defeated sigh and grimaced slightly. "Oh, all right. If it means that much to you three, I guess I'll play."

"Good man." Neville said, giving him a solid slap on the back.

"You're gonna be brilliant, just wait." added Ron excitedly. "Hang on, I'll go grab the twins before they get too far."

Ranma threw himself onto a nearby chair, looking very put out. Ron was right; he really _did_ want to play Quidditch again, just not with the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He said as much to Hermione, who gave him a commiserating smile. "Oh, cheer up. At least you'll get half of what you wanted. Anyway, it's only one game. I'm sure you can put up with them that long."

"Yeah, but I don't have to like it." he replied, folding his arms over his chest and looking very sour. It didn't help his mood that both Neville and Hermione were trying and failing to stifle laughter.

Finally, a few minutes later, Ron returned with the twins and Lee in tow. If Ranma's friends had looked happy at his decision, these three looked positively ecstatic. Fred and Lee whooped with satisfaction. For some reason, this irritated him quite a bit.

"We knew you'd come through for Gryffindor!" Lee said happily.

"I'm only doing this because my _real _friends asked me to." This silenced the three. "But I'm not playing unless Wood apologizes to me in front of everyone in the common room, for kicking me off the team for no reason. And I want _him_ to ask me back on the team."

The twins looked doubtful, but they nodded. "It'll be hard, but we'll make him do it." said Fred. He and George turned to walk away.

"Oh yeah, one more thing. Harry told us how you lot were treating him at practice. Well I'm not him, and I'm not putting up with that rubbish. If I even _think_ anyone is being disrespectful towards me or Neville or Harry, you can go find another player."

After checking on Harry again, Neville, Ron, Ranma, and Hermione headed down to the Great Hall for dinner. As they'd spent most of the day avoiding most people (going so far as to spend the entire afternoon in a secluded corner of the common room), they weren't quite prepared for the reception they received. The moment they stepped into the Great Hall, excited whispers began flying about. Without hesitation, Ranma led the way over to their customary places at the Gryffindor table, completely ignoring everyone but his friends, who looked slightly nervous from the attention. Sitting down and beginning to eat, they largely ignored the gossiping (except to laugh among themselves at the ridiculous rumors that they were hearing).

Not long after they arrived, the Gryffindor Quidditch team stomped into the hall, looking very sour indeed and, as expected, one member short. Ranma took guilty pleasure in the looks of disappointment on some of his house mates faces that their arrival caused. The girls on the team were glaring at Wood, whose face was red with barely contained anger, while the twins were quietly but quite firmly talking to him. It didn't take a genius to guess what was being said.

"This," Ron said between mouthfuls of chicken, "is gonna be really interesting to watch."

"You think Wood will cave?" asked Neville.

"Of course he will, otherwise Gryffindor will blame _him_ if we lose." said Hermione.

"Forget that, I think he's in more danger from Katie, Angelina, and Alicia." Ranma said with a chuckle, noting that the girls were still staring at Wood with veritable death rays shooting from their eyes.

They weren't the only ones interested in the conversation between the twins and Wood. Though they were trying to talk quietly, the specifics were starting to trickle down the Gryffindor table. From what he could tell, Ranma figured the house was split down the middle on his playing the next day (not that he cared, of course). Soon, the buzz had spread to the other tables, ultimately culminating in Professor McGonagall having a terse word or two with Wood that no one but he and the twins could seem to hear. From the defeated look on the Quidditch captain's face, though, it could not have been more obvious what she'd said.

A short while later, the four of them had finished eating, so they left the Great Hall somewhat earlier than usual. Neville asked about training that evening, but Ranma declined. "Wood's going to call a late practice. Besides, he still needs to apologize in front of everyone. You probably want to hang around for that."

"Oh right." Neville said with a grin. "I've a feeling this will be priceless."

Fifteen minutes later, the common room was unusually full; everyone, it seems, had gotten word of what was going to happen. When Wood was finally dragged inside by the twins, the common room was suddenly atwitter with anticipation. After a few minutes of yelling at the crowd, Fred finally managed to get everyone quiet before leading (or rather, pulling) Wood over to where Ranma sat with his friends. He pretended not to notice them for several moments, just long enough for Wood to become even more angry.

"Oh, it's you lot. Didn't see you there." Ranma lied, sounding less than enthused to see them. "What is it then?"

"Ranma, Oliver has something to say to you." George said, gripping the boy's arm tightly. "Right, Oliver?"

Wood clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, then cast an angry glare at Ranma and mumbled something incoherent. Ranma cocked an eyebrow at him mockingly.

"Sorry, didn't catch that." said Ranma. "Could you speak up?"

Wood took a calming breath. "I said I'm sorry for kicking you off the team without a good reason." he bit out, just loud enough for Ranma to hear.

"No, still nothing." Ranma said, thoroughly enjoying the moment. He turned to Ron, Neville, and Hermione. "Any of you hear what he said? No?" They shook their heads, trying hard not to laugh. Ranma raised his voice so that everyone could hear. "Come on, Oliver, you've got a big, strong voice. I should know, I heard it all over the pitch when I was on the team. So let's hear it, nice and loud."

The murmurs that had been circulating about the room suddenly went quiet. Wood visibly struggled to contain himself, clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles had gone white. He closed his eyes and gave a long, defeated sigh. "I'm sorry I kicked you off the team for no reason." Wood's voice carried over the common room. "You're the only reserve we have left and we – I mean, _I_ need you to come back to the team. We're sunk if we've got to field a new person that's never trained with us."

Though he'd already agreed to play, no one else but his friends knew this, so Ranma put on a big show of thinking about it. "Well, I don't know. You _were_ a bit of a git to me..." Wood's face went red. "But, why punish everyone else for your faults. Oh, that's right, they've been gits to me too. Makes you wonder why I'd bother at all..."

Wood's eyes widened comically. He turned and growled angrily at the twins. "You said he'd play!"

Ranma laughed. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Wood. I said I'd do it and I keep my word." The common room droned with murmurs and whispers. Ranma got up and pushed through the crowd to the portrait hole. "Well, are we going to the pitch or not? I haven't practiced in two months, remember?"

The team's late practice was a tense but overall productive session. They first dealt with shuffling the lineup, since they had one too many beaters and one too few seekers. To that end, Katie, being the smaller and faster of the chasers, was moved to seeker. In her place, Wood placed Fred, who was better on a broom than his brother and was not prone to dropping the quaffle. This left everyone else in their original positions and Ranma became the second beater. While this was the ideal squad for the people they had, it became apparent that there were flaws that they couldn't hope to fix in just one practice. Thus, after half an hour of flying, the team reconvened to discuss strategy.

"If we play like this, we'll lose." Wood said frustratedly. "They've got the advantage at almost every position. Fred, you're not staying in formation. Ranma, you need to fly better. Katie...well, you're doing as well as can be expected, but they've got a superb seeker."

"Okay, so they've got advantages. What do we do?" asked Angelina. No one spoke for a minute before Ranma cleared his throat to speak.

"The way I see it, we should work on what we can control. George and I can control the bludgers, Wood's got the goals pretty well covered. That's all the defense we need. The rest of you focus on scoring."

"One problem." said Wood. "Won't the other beaters have something to say about that?"

"Sure they will, Oliver." George said, smirking. "But we've got some tricks up our sleeves. Trust me, they won't be a problem at all."

Practice lasted another two hours before Professor McGonagall marched out to the pitch and ordered them inside. Ranma imagined they might've gotten detention if she hadn't known how desperate their situation was. Everyone hurried off to the dormitories except for Wood, whom Ranma noticed had hung back to talk briefly with McGonagall. She shook her head sadly and Wood looked decidedly downcast, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Ranma had his suspicions of what Wood had talked to her about, but he decided to remain quiet for the moment.

As much as he hated to admit it, Ranma was very nervous about playing in his first game. He knew well enough that this was to be expected, but, unlike Harry, he also knew it could affect his performance later if he didn't do something to burn it off. Thus, Ranma was up early, as usual, for his morning training. He dragged along Neville, who'd thought they would skip their session because of the game and hadn't slept nearly enough. They worked until breakfast, though Ranma made sure to only warm up and stretch his upper body muscles. It wouldn't do for them to be tired early in the match.

The Great Hall was as lively and full of excitement as the day of any match, perhaps even more so. Strangely, though, Wood wasn't sitting at the Gryffindor table with the rest of the team, neither had anyone seen him all morning. This had a disquieting effect on the entire house and, even worse, on the team morale. The Slytherins openly mocked the situation, but everyone else was worrying aloud whether the Gryffindor team would possibly forfeit the match. With the start of the match approaching, Ranma and his teammates had no choice but to head down to the changing rooms without their leader.

"He'll show up." Fred said reassuringly. "Wood would never miss a match, especially not one this important."

He did arrive, eventually, after everyone had changed into their Quidditch robes and were five minutes from walking out onto the pitch. He looked quite dejected but said nothing to them as he pulled on his robes.

"Where the hell were you?" George asked angrily. "We were about to go tell Madame Hooch that we were going to have to forfeit because our captain couldn't be bothered to show up!"

Wood didn't answer for a moment as he tightened one of his gloves. "I was in the hospital wing, waiting to see if Harry was going to wake up."

"All this time?" Alicia said disbelievingly.

"Yeah." Wood admitted. "I thought, you know, he might wake up at the last minute..."

"You've got to be joking." said Fred. "Pomfrey wouldn't've let him out if he'd just woken up, Oliver."

"She might have! You know how much we need him." Wood insisted, sounding frustrated. "If only he had minded his own business, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

"Are you stupid?" Ranma glared angrily at Wood. "Harry may have saved us all by facing Quirrell, and he's up in the hospital wing because of it, but all you care about is whether he can catch that bloody snitch, otherwise you wouldn't give rat's arse what happens to him!" Ranma jabbed him hard in the chest with his index finger, pushing Wood back several feet. "We're the team you have to play with, so get over it, and let's get out on the pitch. And I swear, if you say one more word about Harry, I'll knock you off your broom myself!"

Ranma burst out of the changing room, feeling angry enough to kick something. He was so incensed that he failed to see someone else walking towards the changing rooms and ran headlong into them. "Ah, bugger, sorry 'bout that." he said hastily, offering a hand up. It took him a few seconds to register the red haired woman he'd knocked over. "Mum?"

"Hello to you, too, dear." she responded, taking his hand. He pulled her to her feet. "I realize you're in a hurry, but please watch where you're going."

Ranma flashed a weak grin. "Yeah, sorry, I'm just a little angry with my captain because he's a git. Anyway, what're you doing here? Shouldn't you be in London?"

"Always straight to business, just like your father." Nodoka said with a little smile. "I received your owl to send your broom, so I thought I'd bring it myself and stay for the match. It'll be ever so exciting to see you play for Gryffindor!"

For a moment, Nodoka reminded him of a giddy school girl. "Ah...okay. So, where's the broom?"

"Oh, right. I have it here somewhere..." She rummaged about in her handbag before pulling the broom out. Ranma's eyes widened. "What? Oh, my handbag – it's magically expanded. Now, here you go."

"Thanks, mum."

"Not at all." she replied, giving him a brief hug. "Just got out there and play your best, even if your captain's a...well, an unpleasant person."

A loud ringing, rather like a church bell, sounded. "That sounds like the warning bell. You and your team had better get on the pitch before you're forced to forfeit."

Ranma nodded, grabbed the broom, and dashed off to the pitch, followed closely by his teammates, who stampeded out of the changing rooms. A great roar went up in the stands, overpowering boos and hisses from what could only be the Slytherin side. Ranma reached the middle of the pitch first, where Madame Hooch and the Ravenclaw team were waiting. The others slid to a halt behind him, wheezing a bit from the run. "You're late." said Madame Hooch testily. "I very nearly called the match."

"Sorry...Madame Hooch." Wood said, trying to catch his breath. "My fault...checking on Har-...on a teammate."

"Yes, well I suggest you all mount your brooms so we can get this match started."

Everyone obeyed her command and, in moments, the fourteen players were in the air. The din of the crowd rose in anticipation. Ranma looped around several times, trying to expel any last minute jitters, and felt adrenaline start to slowly flow through his body. He could just barely hear Lee giving his usual color commentary but he completely tuned it out. Taking deep, calming breaths, he cleared his mind of negative thoughts and focused only on the task at hand. The wind buffeted him about slightly, but he ignored it, feeling instead his reassuring grips on the beater's bat in his right hand and the broom in his left. This was it, Ranma's first and most important game.

George called to him from thirty feet to his left. "Oy, you ready, Ranma?"

He knew, from the tingle of excitement that permeated his limbs, that he was more than ready. "Yeah, George. Let's do this." he called back with a smirk, twirling the bat. George grinned and nodded before flying off.

And then, Madame Hooch gave two sharp reports from her whistle just as she kicked open the box holding the two bludgers. Ranma leaned forward, his Cleansweep picking up speed as he hurtled on a collision course with one of the enchanted iron balls. In his periphery, Ranma could see his opposite number trying to beat him to the bludger, and he smirked, knowing he would make it there first and that the Ravenclaw beater was playing right into his hands. Rocketing at the bludger, he wound up, glanced at his target, and swung hard.

A dull clang resounded as Ranma's bat struck the bludger. It ricocheted forward and flew directly at the opposing beater, who wound up to hit it. The surprise on his face was enough to make Ranma smile, as the boy completely misjudged the ball's speed and spin. He was only just able to get his bat on it, which the bludger promptly tore from his hand, and the spin on the iron ball curved it into a glancing blow off his shoulder. As the bludger went sailing away, looking for other victims, Ranma's smile morphed into a predatory leer. He was about to have a very good game.

**-----**

Freya was waiting impatiently in the Fat Lady's portrait as the four left to go to dinner on Sunday evening. Both she and the Fat Lady cleared their throats loudly, catching Ranma's attention. "I believe this..._young lady_ has something to say to you." said the Fat Lady. It was evident, from her tone, that she didn't welcome this visitor to her portrait. Freya's eyes narrowed and her wand hand twitched, but she restrained herself.

"Harry Potter is awake. He's meeting with the headmaster as we speak." she said tersely. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get out of this _cramped_ frame."

"Thanks, Freya." Ranma called to her, as she left the frame, pointedly ignoring that the Fat Lady was nearly apoplectic with anger. "Err, we'll be off then."

They hurried away, trying not to laugh. "Who was that in the portrait, Ranma?" asked Hermione in a slightly strange tone.

"Oh, that's Freya Fencer. She used to be a teacher here."

"Blimey, a cute bird like that, teaching here?" Ron said absently. "I thought you had to be ancient to work here. She looks like a student, not a teacher."

"Yeah, well she _was_ the youngest teacher in Hogwarts history." Ranma said. "I asked her to keep an eye on the hospital wing, since we can't hang around there all day waiting for Harry to wake up. I didn't think she'd actually do it though."

"Should we even ask how you know her?" asked Neville.

"She likes to watch me train." Ranma said matter-of-factly, not noticing the raised (or, in one case, furrowed) eyebrows this comment elicited.

When they reached the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey appeared at the door, further convincing them that she was hiding latent psychic powers. They groaned inwardly and prepared themselves for a battle. When she saw them, she tutted loudly and shook her head. "I should have known you lot would show up. Well, I'm sorry, but Mr. Potter is resting and is not to be disturbed."

"But Madame Pomfrey-" said Ranma.

"-we haven't seen Harry in days-" protested Ron.

"-we'll only be a minute-" added Neville.

"Please, Madame Pomfrey, we just want to make sure he's all right." said Hermione.

"My dear girl, I assure you he is fine, but he will be much better if he rests."

"Can you at least tell him we wanted to see him?" asked Ron.

"Oh, very well." she replied exasperatedly before closing the door to the hospital wing. They were still debating whether to send Ranma back to Gryffindor Tower for Harry's invisibility cloak when the door opened suddenly and she beckoned them inside. "You may see Mr. Potter for five minutes _only_." she said before moving to the side and letting them in.

Harry was sitting up in his bed, looking very eager at their arrival. Ranma could certainly see what Madame Pomfrey meant about Harry needing more rest. He was slightly pale and his eyes were slightly baggy. He even let a jaw cracking yawn escape as they stopped at his bed.

"_Harry!_" Hermione looked ready to grab Harry in one of her rib-cracking hugs, but Ranma stayed her with a firm hand on her shoulder. "Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to – Dumbledore was so worried-"

"Yeah, you facing You-Know-Who like that again." Ron added.

"Well, good thing Ranma was there, yeah?" Harry said, grinning.

"It was nothing." Ranma said modestly. "You'd have done the same for me."

"Yeah, I would have. Dunno what good it would do, though, kicking Voldemort in the face. I was always rubbish at football." he said with a chuckle, pointedly ignoring the flinches from Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

"Everyone's talking about it, you know." Neville remarked. "Mostly just rumors. We know most of what happened, but Dumbledore asked us not to mention You-Know-Who if anyone asked. We've been trying to get the truth out there, but it's not quite as interesting, I guess."

Harry seemed to deflate slightly at this. "I was sorta looking forward to telling the story." he admitted when they asked him what was the matter.

"Oh, well in that case, I'd like to hear what happened before I broke into the room." Ranma said. The others murmured in agreement.

"Oh. Not that much, really." Harry said unenthusiastically. "Quirrell told me everything. He's the one who tried to kill me at the Quidditch match." He looked hopefully at them, but, as Ranma and Hermione had figured that out already, no one looked surprised at this revelation. "Oh, I guess that's not news to anyone. I suppose you know that Snape was trying to save me that day too?"

Everyone nodded. "Hermione and I sorta figured that out." Ranma said apologetically.

"You know about the troll too? Quirrell said he had a gift with trolls. Actually," Harry frowned, "He told me he summoned that big green one just for you, Ranma."

The others looked surprised to hear this, but Ranma only nodded. "Yeah, I guessed that too." he said with a sigh. "I think he was scared, after what happened in the forest."

"I think so, at least until I told him you were out there fighting it." said Harry. "Anyway, Quirrell tied me up while he tried to get the Stone out of the Mirror of Erised. When that didn't work, he tried to make me help him. But the weird part was...you won't believe this, but he had Voldemort sticking out the back of his head."

Again, they all looked apologetic but not surprised. "Oh...you knew that too. Oh right, Ranma saw him."

"Oh, well, it sounded really scary, mate." Ron said encouragingly. "I'd have fainted if I'd seen a face out the back of a bloke's head."

"Well, yeah, I _was_ scared, but I was more scared Voldemort would get the Stone. Funny thing is that I somehow ended up with the Stone. Dumbledore says it's because I wanted to find the Stone but not use it." Harry said, sounding more than a little proud. "After that, Quirrell and I wrestled for the Stone, and I found out that he couldn't touch me without being hurt. I've got some kind of protection from my mum, and Dumbledore said Voldemort couldn't touch me."

They all looked amazed at this revelation. "That's pretty lucky." Neville said.

"Yeah, but it hurt like hell. I almost couldn't keep touching him though. That's probably why I was out these last few days." Harry said. "So what happened to you four?"

Ranma grinned wryly. "I ended up next to you in here for a half a day. That troll was as tough as it looks. It's armor and sword were magical, even."

"After I went back, I found Ranma and woke him up, and he went after you, obviously." Hermione said quickly. "Then I got Ron – it took forever to wake him up – and we flew out of the trap door with Neville. We were just running out of the third floor corridor when we met Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall."

"Dumbledore already knew." said Neville with something akin to awe in his voice. "He just said 'Harry's gone after him, hasn't he?', then he dashed into the corridor. Honestly, I didn't think he could move so fast."

"Do you think he meant you to do it? Sending you your father's cloak and everything?" asked Ron.

"Ron!" Hermione exploded. "If he did – I mean to say, that's terrible! You could've been killed."

Harry silently considered this, chewing his bottom lip. "I don't know. He's a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know? I reckon he had a pretty good idea that we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he taught us just enough to help. I don't think it's an accident he let me know how the mirror worked. It's almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could."

Ranma thought back to his own conversation with the headmaster. "I don't think Dumbledore knew about Voldemort, Harry. He suspected Quirrell, but I doubt he predicted the way things would turn out. And I know he wouldn't put us in danger if he could help it." he said, shaking his head.

"Well, I reckon it's like Dumbledore and You-Know-Who were playing chess, and we came by and upset the board." said Ron. "They knew we were snooping around, but they didn't think we'd actually make a difference. Guess we showed 'em, eh?"

They all grinned at each other. Ranma saw, on the faces of his friends, the same expression he'd seen on the faces of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and the same expression he'd worn so many times. They looked proud and victorious and confident, and rightly so. Together, the five of them had faced and triumphed against odds more difficult than even an adult could handle. If that wasn't something to be proud of, Ranma didn't know what was.

Harry cleared his throat loudly. "So is anyone gonna tell me what happened while I was out? Anything important?"

"A bit." Ron said slyly. "You missed the last Quidditch match."

"Oh, right." Harry said disappointedly. "What happened?"

"We lost." replied Ranma, grinning crookedly. Harry looked half alarmed and half uncertain.

"You...you four don't seem that upset about it." he said slowly, looking at their amused expressions.

"Why should we be upset? We won the Cup, after all." Neville said with a smirk.

"But I thought you said we lost!"

"Harry, don't be daft. We only lost one game." said Ron exasperatedly. "Same as Slytherin."

Harry narrowed his eyes, thinking. "It came down to points?"

"Got it in one." Ranma replied.

"But that doesn't make any sense. We were down loads of points because I caught the snitch so fast against Hufflepuff."

"Yes, well, quite a few points can be scored in four hours." Hermione said. "Especially when your side's got almost exclusive control of the bludgers. Isn't that right, Ranma?"

Blushing slightly, Ranma nodded and looked slightly embarrassed. "Ron, you're the better storyteller. Go on and tell Harry what happened." he said.

Ron readily pounced on the opportunity. "It was brilliant, Harry, you should've seen it. I haven't seen a season finisher like this since the Harpies beat the Cannons to take the league on points all the way from third place!"

Harry seemed to catch onto his excitement. "So we _did_ beat Slytherin on points! Excellent!"

"Well, no." Ron said ruefully. "Actually, it was a tie on points too. If Katie'd caught the snitch, we'd have had the cup to ourselves, but she's really not a seeker, you know? She was right in there for chase, but if you'd been there it would've been in the bag. Anyway, that's not the good bit. I'll have you know that you're not the only first year to play for Gryffindor this year."

Harry's eyes widened as he quickly looked at Ranma. "You didn't - but Wood kicked you off the team!"

Ranma shrugged. "He suddenly needed me, what with Sotheby and Garibaldi having detention with Snape."

"Yeah. Wood asked him back on the team, in front of the entire house, and he even apologized for being a prat. Then he shuffled the line up a bit. Ranma and George were beating while Fred moved to Katie's spot, and she took your spot." said Ron. "Ranma, though, he was our secret weapon. He's was a monster with the bat, probably could give Bagman a run for his money."

It was Harry's turn to smirk knowingly. "Well, yeah, I could've told you that, seeing as I flew against his bludgers in practice for months."

"Never seen anything like it before." Neville said appreciatively. "I mean, I knew Ranma was strong, but the way he was hitting the bludgers..."

"Madame Hooch says there were dents in them." Ron said with a chuckle. "It was unbelievable, Harry. First thing George and Ranma did was take out the other beaters. Must've been bloody embarrassing, getting hit by a bludger when _you're_ a beater."

"After that, they started pelting the Ravenclaw chasers. George probably played better than I've ever seen, but Ranma was really giving them what for. I mean it, he unseated all three of them at least three or four times each. That's unheard of, mate." Ron said excitedly. "I think the chasers spent more time worrying about bludgers than they did about the quaffle. Made it really easy for our chasers. Ranma even managed to unseat the keeper a couple times, don't ask me how. It's really hard to legally hit the keeper, much less from the other side of the pitch."

Ranma grinned, basking in the glow of his friend's praise. "By the end of the match, they were pretty out of it. Their seeker was really good though. I think Ranma only hit him once, and it was a glancing hit anyway. Everyone else, though, it was like they couldn't make any moves that kept the bludgers away."

"Yeah, Ravenclaw even called a time out to argue that our team had enchanted the bludgers." Neville said with a snort. "They couldn't believe a first year could play so well."

"Some of the Muggleborns even made up a nickname for you, Ranma." Hermione remarked. "'Sidewinder Saotome'."

"Yeah, bloody strange, that." said Ron. "What's a snake got to do with Quidditch?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's a type of Muggle rocket that they shoot out of airplanes. It follows anything giving off a lot of heat until it's hit."

"Ohhhhh." Ron and Neville said simultaneously. "That actually makes sense. I mean, if you'd never seen what Ranma can do, it'd kinda seem like that."

"So, wait, Ranma, if you were doing so well, why'd it take four hours to end the game?"

"The Ravenclaws figured out that I was the worst flyer on the field." he replied with a pained expression. "Didn't take them that long to figure out how to use it against me."

"The other beaters started putting the bludgers out of position." explained Ron. "So Ranma and George had to fly all over the place. Eventually, George did all the chasing and he'd pass them to Ranma. It actually worked pretty well, but it gave the chasers a pretty open field towards the last half of the match."

"So what was the final score?"

"Two hundred fifty to two hundred forty." Neville replied with a slight grimace. "We almost won, but Ravenclaw scored just before their seeker got the snitch."

"Wow...you're right Ron, I wish I had seen that match. It must've been amazing." Harry said wistfully.

"What happened next was even better." Hermione sounded positively gleeful. "The Slytherin team was already on the pitch, waiting to accept the cup, when Dumbledore announced that there was a _tie_."

"No way!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yes! The teams were tied on games _and_ points! It was the first time in centuries since that's happened."

"You should've seen the looks on the Slytherins' faces. I wish I'd had a camera." added Ron. "So then Dumbledore suggested a playoff match to determine the winner-"

"We've got another game?" Harry asked, sounding both alarmed and excited.

"Nah. Both teams have to agree to a playoff, so-"

"So we obviously wanted to play, but I bet the Slytherins didn't." Harry guessed.

"Exactly. Flint talked it over with Snape for a bit before he decided to just share the championship. We reckon they were scared you'd wake up." said Ranma, grinning. "So we're co-champions with the Slytherins and we split the winner's points. The points helped, but Gryffindor's still in fourth place in the House championship."

"Not that you care or anything..." Hermione added playfully; Ranma scowled at her. Harry looked inquiringly at the interaction and had opened his mouth to say something when they were interrupted by Madame Pomfrey.

"You've had been fifteen minutes, now OUT." she said firmly. Deciding that it would not be wise to irritate the matron any further, Ranma, Neville, Ron, and Hermione all promised to come by the next day to see Harry before they hurried from the hospital wing.

They weren't able to keep their promise until after class the next day, as Madame Pomfrey refused to admit them. She did, however, reluctantly admit that Harry would be released that evening to go to the leaving feast. Thus, at Ron's insistence, they were waiting for Harry outside the hospital wing at a quarter to six. When he finally emerged, it was five minutes past the start of the leaving feast, but they decided not to rush down to the Great Hall. Looking at his friends, Ranma felt that and everything was all right, now that the "Fearless Five" (which some people had started to refer to them as) were all together again.

When they finally reached the entrance hall, they paused just before the doorway to the Great Hall. "Just a bit of warning, mate." Ron said to Harry. "People are gonna talk. A lot."

"What?" Harry gasped, looking discomfited.

"Well, you didn't think they sent you all those sweets because they had extra, did you?" Neville replied with a chuckle. "We've been getting a bit of it since that day, but since it's _you_...well, you'll get used to it."

"I certainly hope not." said Hermione with a slight grin. "A big head really doesn't suit you, Harry." All four boys did a double take and stared at her, looking quite astonished. "What? Can't I tell a joke every now and then?"

The boys couldn't help it; they all burst out laughing. "Of course you can, 'Mione, I'm just glad you found your sense of humor under all the books you keep in your head." Ranma teased, easily dodging when she tried to punch him in the arm. "Come on, let's get in there before all the good seats are gone."

The Great Hall was decorated in green and silver and a huge banner covered the wall behind the High Table that was emblazoned with the Slytherin serpent. The hall was already full of students and loud with hundreds of conversations. As they'd predicted, the hall went very quiet when they entered but very quickly erupted in whispers and murmurs. By the time they'd finally found seats at the Gryffindor table, people had gone from whispering to openly pointing. Harry seemed to ignore it, but he looked as if he wanted to hide.

"You all weren't kidding." He said almost too quietly to hear.

"Yeah, well, you did fight You-Know-Who, what'd you expect?" Ron said, grinning.

"They-they know?"

"Yeah, no telling how." said Ranma. "I guess Hogwarts really _does_ have a million ears and twice as many mouths."

"Shhh, it's Dumbledore." Hermione cut in. The headmaster entered, nodding at the Hogwarts staff that was assembled at the High Table, and the din quickly died down.

"Another year gone!" he said cheerfully, beaming at the students. "And I must trouble you with an old man's wheezing waffle before we sink our teeth into this delicious feast."

Ranma's stomach, which seemed to have understood Dumbledore's words, growled noticeably, and suddenly his mind was less on what the headmaster was saying and more on how long it had been since he'd eaten. He barely caught more than a few words and even Dumbledore's mention of the house points didn't rouse him from his contemplation of just what he planned to eat first. A storm of cheering, though, shook Ranma from his thoughts, and he was disgusted to see it was the Slytherins, who were likely celebrating their win in the house cup.

"Yes, yes, well done, Slytherin," Dumbledore said. "However, recent events must be taken into account."

And, with these words, Ranma, like everyone else in the Hall, went very still. Anticipation hung thick in the air. Ranma had a suspicion, a hope, of what Dumbledore might say next.

"Ahem. I have a few last-minute points to dish out. Let me see. Yes...

"First, to Mr. Ronald Weasley..." Ron blushed violently at once, but he also seemed to be holding his breath, and his eyes looked ready to pop out of his head. "...for the best played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Ranma had heard it before, but it never was so spine-tingling as that moment, when the Gryffindor table exploded with cacophonous cheering. Ranma, Neville, and Harry took turns clapping Ron on the back, which served the dual purpose of congratulating him and forcing some air back into his lungs. All three older Weasleys were loudly telling anyone who could still hear that Ron was _their_ brother. It took nearly a minute for them to settle down.

"Second – to Miss Hermione Granger...for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Hermione simply buried her face in her arms, and Ranma thought he heard a small sniffle, despite the noise. He awkwardly patted her on the arm, not really knowing what to do for a crying girl.

"We're up a hundred!" Neville yelled in his ear.

Dumbledore held up his hands for silence. "Third – to Mr. Ranma Saotome...for self-less sacrifice in defense of a friend, and for compassion shown to a defeated enemy, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Ranma wasn't shocked or embarrassed or even overwhelmed. When the thunderous applause and cheering erupted from his table and around the Great Hall, he felt vindicated. Around him, people who had, not five minutes ago, uttered insults about him, where now clapping him on the back and applauding him. He basked in the praise and recognition of what he'd done, raising his arms in victory and smiling like the stereotypical Cheshire cat.

The applause gradually died down, but there was an air of anticipation at the table. They were now up one hundred and sixty points, only a hundred points from a tie with Slytherin. Ranma could feel, like the other Gryffindors, that Dumbledore wasn't done, that Harry and Neville, too, would get their turn.

"Fourth – to Mr. Harry Potter...for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points.

More applause, this time even more deafening and longer than it had been before. For a brief moment, Ranma irritatedly wondered why, when he, not Harry, had ultimately defeated Quirrell, but he ruefully remembered that not only was his friend famous, but the prevailing story around the castle was that Harry had defeated Voldemort alone.

At this point, the Gryffindors were positively hoarse with their cheering. Forty points was all that separated them and the Slytherins

"Finally, friendship, true friendship, requires that we not only stand by our friends when they are right, but also stand up to them when they are wrong. For a true display of friendship, I award fifty points to Mr. Neville Longbottom."

A cannon could have fired nearby and no one in the hall would have heard it for all the shouting and cheering. Neville had barely registered what Dumbledore had said before he literally disappeared under a pile of Gryffindors. Ron and Harry were clapping one another on the back and being congratulated by people nearby. Hermione, meanwhile, had jumped from her seat, a huge smile on her tear-streaked face, and threw her arms around Ranma, shouting over and over, "We did it! We won!"

Ranma awkwardly returned the hug, silently agreeing with her. _They_ had won. The five of them had single-handedly taken the house championship right out of the Slytherins' hands. That hadn't been their goal, but it was enough to know that he was the cause of all the angry and sour looks at the far table. He smirked sardonically at them.

"I believe a change of decoration is in order." Dumbledore said when the cheering had died down to merely a cacophony. He waved his wand and, in a flash, the Great Hall was decked out in Gryffindor colors. Up at the head table, Snape reluctantly shook McGonagall's hand, a strained smile on his face. Laughing at the man, Ranma settled down at the table to enjoy the best feast yet with his four friends, reveling in the knowledge of their victory. It was a night he wouldn't soon forget.

When the euphoria from the Gryffindor victory in the house championship finally died down, Harry, Ranma, and Neville found that their standing in the house had improved considerably. It wasn't exactly surprising to Ranma, considering how quickly the other Gryffindors went from hating to not actively insulting him after he'd helped the Quidditch team win a share of the house Quidditch cup. His pride at being recognized for facing Quirrell and Voldemort, as well as the infectious happiness of his friends and others, had pushed all thoughts of the previous two months from his head.

A couple days on, though, it all came rushing back when rumors began circulating about Ranma and the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and he was forced to tell everyone that he had, indeed, played his last game for Gryffindor, at least for several years. Of course, he had told Wood the very same thing right after the game because the thick-headed fifth year had the audacity to blame Harry for them not winning the cup outright. It was all Ranma could do to keep himself from punching Wood in the face. Right then, he'd vowed never to play for Gryffindor as long as Wood remained on the team.

To Ranma's great annoyance, instead of being angry with him, his house mates were instead jumping to his defense and lambasting Wood for his callousness. They seemed quite surprised that he didn't appreciate their effort at all, instead telling them off quite brusquely. As far as he was concerned, things hadn't changed just because everyone had stopped being terrible to him.

His two friends, on the other hand, were quite pleased at the turn of events, particularly Harry. Ranma, it seemed, was the only person who wanted to remember how badly the rest of the house behaved towards them. Neville and Harry both tried to convince him to forgive them, but he adamantly refused, especially since no one had actually apologized. As far as he could tell, the other Gryffindors thought that earning enough points to win the house cup had redeemed the three first-years. But, Ranma bitterly noted, none of these same people were doing anything to make up for months of treating them horribly.

"Sod off." said a surly Ranma to a Gryffindor fourth-year who'd greeted him in the common room one afternoon, several days after the leaving feast. This was quickly becoming his favorite expression, at least when talking to nearly everyone in the house. It really seemed to irritate them, especially since they were being friendly to Ranma, and this was a good enough reason for him to keep saying it.

"You know," Hermione said diplomatically, "you're going to have to let this go eventually. I mean, you can't stay angry at everyone forever, and they _are_ trying."

"Yeah, trying to pretend they weren't complete gits to us for two months." said Ranma with a roll of his eyes.

"What I don't get is why this is such a big deal to you." Harry said truthfully. "Everyone's being nice to us and they think we're cool for winning the house cup for Gryffindor. They're trying to be our friends."

"Right, and what'll happen next time we don't do what they want us to do? I bet they're not so friendly then." Ranma replied sharply. "I don't need those kind of friends."

"Well, you don't need enemies either. That's what you'll get if you keep this up." Hermione pointed out.

Ranma opened his mouth to protest, but couldn't think of anything to say that made sense and, for a change, actually opted not to argue. "Bollocks." he cursed, jumping to his feet. He pointedly ignored Hermione's disapproving look. "I'm going to go do some training before they all drive me mad."

The Sunday before the end of term, Ranma had sequestered himself in the dueling classroom. He knew he should be out spending time with his friends, but he was, to put it mildly, tired of being antagonistic with the other Gryffindors. Avoiding the common room seemed to be the best thing to do. At least then he wouldn't be bothered by the surprisingly large number of his house mates that were too thick to realize he wanted nothing to do with them. Ranma was belatedly realizing that being well known and well regarded had their downsides.

For the moment, Ranma tried to occupy his mind by practicing his wandless spell casting over a distance. This had become somewhat easier since fighting Boss Troll and Voldemort, when he'd so thoroughly exhausted his magical energy. Like a muscle, his magic had recovered larger and stronger than before, thus he was able to cast minor spells within ten feet of himself without feeling too drained.

He felt a small surge of magical energy nearby and looked up expectantly at Freya's portrait. As if on cue, she stepped into the frame, absently twirling her wand between her fingers. She glanced out into the room and, spotting him, her eyes lit up briefly before she schooled her face into a neutral expression. "You're rather early today, aren't you?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Wanted to get away from people." Ranma grunted.

"Oh? Still railing against the unfairness of your house mates, eh?" she said, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly.

"Oh, shut up." Ranma said grumpily, causing her to openly laugh. "You know, I wouldn't care if the gits would just apologize instead of acting like everything's fine."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Maybe some would if you gave them half a chance before telling them off." she threw back. "Oh, and speak of the devil. Come in already, you've stood outside the door long enough."

Ranma wondered what on earth she was talking about, but the door to the room opened and it immediately became clear. Fred, George, and Lee crossed the threshold, looking quite embarrassed. "What are _they_ doing here?" Ranma asked, not bothering to hide his displeasure.

Freya frowned. "I'd say they want to talk, though why they'd want to when you're being such a surly little berk is beyond me." she said frostily. "You wanted people to apologize, so stop acting all put upon and just listen."

Ranma folded his arms and scowled, grumbling something that sounded like "kuh-why cooh-nay", which, by the way he said it, didn't seem to be very polite. Freya narrowed her eyes, her nostrils flaring with anger, and had drawn her wand, but, with a slight twitch of her wand hand, managed to restrain herself. This gave Ranma pause, as he had fully expected her to try to curse him, even without really knowing what he'd said. Feeling slightly embarrassed for having been rude to her (and realizing she must have been quite serious about the situation if she'd passed up an opportunity to curse him), he relented. It wouldn't do to alienate someone he actually counted as a friend.

"Oh, all right." Ranma gave a resigned sigh. He looked at his former friends, trying to maintain a neutral expression. "Let's hear it then." This time, Freya really did try to curse him. When he hopped aside, a small patch of floor where the bolt of magic struck suddenly grew hairy tentacles. "Hey! What was that for?" he yelled indignantly.

"Be nice." she said, smirking at him as he fumed. The other three boys couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh yeah, laugh it up. She's ruddy mental." Ranma grumbled

"Sorry, mate, but that's a brilliant curse. We've got to learn it, there's a few Slytherins who could use some improving." Fred chortled. Ranma grinned despite himself. He couldn't possibly maintain his sour demeanor while picturing Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy as hairy tentacle monsters. Soon, though, the joke had run its course and they were back to where they'd started. They stood in awkward silence for a minute before Freya's impatient cough moved Lee to speak.

"Err, right. Um...we know you've been mad at us all, even though we're all nice to you again." he began awkwardly. Ranma narrowed his eyes at him. "Not that that makes anything better, of course." Lee added quickly. "But, I mean, you _did_ lose loads of points, and you wouldn't explain yourself-"

Ranma laughed derisively. "_That's_ your apology? You were supposed to trust me, remember? But that was too hard, I guess."

George held up his hand to cut off Lee's retort. "No, he's right. We should've trusted you, Ranma. Last time we didn't, look what happened. We shouldn't've jumped to conclusions before we talked to you."

"About bloody time you lot figured it out." said Ranma.

"Yeah, but we didn't deserve to be yelled at just because everyone else treated you badly." Fred added. "And you didn't even trust us enough to be honest about what happened."

"We didn't come up here that day to argue, we just wanted to know what happened. We'd have stood by you if you'd given us a chance." Lee insisted.

Ranma opened his mouth, ready to respond scathingly, but his voice died before it left his mouth. He knew, in his heart, that they weren't wrong. He'd been so angry that day, convinced they were going to turn on him too. He'd attacked them first, before they could lay any blame on him. He turned away from them, feeling the heat of shame in his cheeks. "I...I shouldn't have said those things." he admitted

"Hmph. It's about time you all said that." said Freya approvingly. "You boys and your little squabbles – you've been angry at each other for months, for completely different reasons that you don't remember properly anyway. That's not how Marauders act. Marauders trust each other and give each other the benefit of the doubt. And they certainly don't let differences linger for so long, not while there's mischief to be made."

"She's right, you know." George said with chagrin. "All this time wasted on a misunderstanding. We haven't done any trips into the forest since the gang broke up."

"Look, Ranma, we're all really sorry about what happened. We're not gonna doubt you again." added Lee. "We trusted you with our lives out in the forest, and we'll trust you now."

"Yeah, mate, we need you back. The Marauders have only just started. We've got plenty of mayhem left to cause at hoggy, warty Hogwarts." Fred said with a hopeful grin.

Ranma looked at them, the last traces of his resentment vanishing. They were right; it was time to get over stupid little fights. He flashed a crooked smile. "Yeah, all right. Sorry I was a prat and all. I just...you know..."

But he didn't need to explain any more. Now that they'd gotten over it, it didn't seem to matter that much anyway. What did matter was that the new Marauders were back in business, and Hogwarts had had nearly two months of peace. They all silently thought that they would make sure it wasn't peaceful much longer.

"Well done, boys." Freya said fondly. "Now, group hug!" The looks they gave her portrait were rather chilly. "Oh, fine, I guess you're still at that age."

They settled on friendly handshakes. "Now that you're back, hopefully the Map will calm down. It's been in a right state, it has, since you quit."

"Well of course it has." Freya said with a know-it-all voice to rival Hermione's. "You four took a blood oath to try for the challenges, then one of you quits. The Marauders never thought much of quitters. Mischief making was serious to business to them."

Ranma raised an eyebrow at her. Something was niggling the back of his mind, a clue that he couldn't quite see. Lee, however, seemed to put it together more completely. "Say," he said slowly, "you sound really familiar with the Marauders. How do you know so much about them? Were you classmates?"

Freya looked shocked and flustered. "Well – I mean – of course not, don't be ridiculous, I was quite before their time. I was hanging here well before they came along."

George looked thoughtful, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "You've met them!"

"And you know who they really are!" chimed in Fred enthusiastically. "You couldn't have read the Map, and I doubt they made it well known that they were the infamous Marauders. You had to have talked to them!"

Freya now looked quite out of sorts, but it was obvious that she was not only worried, but was also hiding something. Ranma could feel that she was close to admitting something important. "Which means that they've been in here, just like us. I'd bet ten galleons they used to meet in here all the time. That's why Freya knows them so well."

The defeated look on Freya's face said everything. She moved from her customary place in the center of the portrait and sat heavily in a nearby seat. "Yes, I knew them." she admitted. "They were clever, funny young men. Rather cheeky too, if I recall. They were the first people up here in nearly fifty years, and since the room was very private, they returned often. I taught them many things, and they kept me company." She sighed wistfully. "Imagine my surprise when four more clever, cheeky, funny boys began frequenting my classroom, calling themselves Marauders. I wanted to tell you all about them, but I've always kept their secrets, just as I shall keep yours."

The boys were all speechless. The Marauders had spent lots of time in this room and made friends with the same Freya they'd seen in the room for months. Simultaneously, they all looked at each other and said "A clue!" And within moments, they were off, poking and prodding everything in the room.

"I just realized something." Ranma said suddenly, glancing back and forth at Freya's portrait and the adjoining wall. "But it _can't_ be that easy. It's so obvious..."

"What? What's obvious?" asked Lee, looking at the picture.

"There, behind where she usually stands." Ranma pointed, but he looked to Freya to see her reaction. A broad smile slowly spread over her face and she nodded at him.

George looked quizzically at where he pointed. "Yeah, okay, there's a red door, what about.."

It took a split second for them to realize what this meant: _there was no red door in the room_. Ranma, being the least stunned, looked to Freya. "Is there a door behind your portrait, Freya?

She nodded, still smiling. "There is."

"Can you open it for us?"

"Only if you have the password. Do you have the password?" She cast a significant look at all of them.

The new Marauders looked at one another, knowing they were all thinking the same. The password could only be one thing, and they all said it in unison: "I solemnly swear I am up to no good!"

Freya beamed at them proudly as her portrait swung to the side, revealing a short red door. It opened into a small room, little more than a glorified coat room. Everything in the room was covered with a thick layer of dust, cobwebs clung to the corners, and a stale, musty odor hung in the air. At its center were four chairs surrounding a small round table, on top of which sat a very worn parchment that Ranma thought looked very familiar.

"Bloody hell..." Fred said softly, picking it up. He spread it across the table for them all to see. "The Marauders' Map...but it's supposed to be in our dormitory."

The Map was already active, but it didn't show the map of Hogwarts, as usual. Instead, the same ornate script they'd seen before began dancing across it.

_**- Well done, new Marauders, on finding this room. -**_

_**- I told you they'd do it. -**_

_**- No, no, you said -**_

_**- Shut it, you two, we're supposed to be sounding all important and official, remember? **_

_**- Oh, right, sorry mate, do carry on then. -**_

_**- Right, where was I... -**_

_**- Finding the room? -**_

"You know, whenever you blokes're ready." Lee said exasperatedly. "Take your time, it's not like we've got anything better to do."

_**- All right, all right, keep you knickers on, Mr. Silvertongue. -**_

The parchment cleared itself while the four new Marauders grinned at its antics. The words began filling in again.

_**- As I was saying, congratulations on finding this room, which you ought to have guessed is the famed Marauders' secret meeting room. -**_

"Looks like a ruddy broom closet to me." Ranma muttered. Lee and the twins sniggered quietly.

_**- It is not a ruddy broom closet. Well, okay, it **_**was****_ a ruddy broom closet before we found it behind Freya's portrait. It is now, thanks to our efforts, most definitely a secret meeting room, thank you very much. -_**

"Yeah, okay, we get it." Fred replied impatiently. "So what now?"

_**- Now... – **_the writing paused for dramatic effect **_– this room, and everything in it, is yours. We think you'll find it useful in the future. -_**

But first, a quick tidying is in order. Just tap the the broken broom in the corner with your wand and say "Cleansweep"

George, who was closest, shrugged and followed the instructions. It looked, to Ranma, as if the entire room was washing away, revealing a spotless and slightly different place. The most noticeable difference was that the room was now much more spacious. Along the walls, shelves suddenly appeared, filled with books, parchment, and various jars of what were probably potion ingredients. There were several cauldrons of different size, and by the scorch marks beneath them, they'd seen quite a bit of use. Along one wall, wizard pictures hung, each with a caption beneath, highlighting various pranks. Back by the far wall, a long table held various bits of junk and other odds and ends. Finally, a portrait sat on the wall, now occupied by Freya, who looked on proudly.

"Blimey..." Fred breathed slowly. "That was brilliant."

"Yeah, but what was it?" Ranma asked, his mind trying to digest what he'd just seen. The Map answered in what seemed like a gloating fashion.

_**- It's called a "glamour", a type of concealment charm. Of course, this one's quite a bit more advanced than your average glamour, almost like a disillusionment, actually. -**_

The boys all looked at one another with confused expressions.

_**- Don't worry, there should be books around here about what we're talking about. You four will figure it out soon enough. It's enough to know that the magic is powerful enough to fool almost anyone. -**_

Ranma nodded, though he didn't totally understand what they were getting at. This did, at least, explain why he'd completely missed any traces of magic in the room. It also raised his opinion of the Marauders substantially; whoever they were, they were likely wizards of substantial skill and power.

_**- Marauders-in-training, you have now completed Mr. Wormtail's challenge. Three tasks remain in the Marauders' Challenge, and you have...oh, I'd say, a little less than eighteen months left. -**_

"WHAT?" they exclaimed in unison.

"There wasn't a time limit before!" argued Lee.

"Yeah, what gives? We're only third years! We've got plenty of time!" added George.

_**- No, you haven't. We take our challenge very seriously and expect you to do so as well. The four of you agreed to try for it as a team, yet your team dissolved over something petty. So consider this a warning. We can abide failure, but we won't abide quitting. -**_

The four boys looked slightly shamed, each wondering how a piece of parchment was managing to tell them off so effectively.

_**- If you will truly be our successors, you must prove it, not just with your skill or knowledge, but with your trust and loyalty to one another. Otherwise, you will not succeed. -**_

Without further ado, the Map cleared itself. They stared at in silence for several moments. "Well, that's just lovely." George said dejectedly. "A year and a half, mates."

"Less four months, unless you know how we'll get back to Hogwarts during the summer." added Lee.

"Gentlemen, I do believe we've bollocksed this up rather well." said Fred with a grimace.

"Yeah. So let's fix it, yeah?" Ranma said with a crooked grin. "I've got some ideas of what we can do over the summer..."

Reuniting with the Marauders seemed to do the trick for Ranma's attitude. Granted, he still resented most of his house mates for their terrible treatment, but at least now he gave the benefit of the doubt to people who were actually trying to make it up to him. Many did eventually come around, starting with the other first years. He, Neville, and Harry were quite surprised to be pulled aside by their classmates and hear heartfelt apologies from them, as well as an invitation to hang out that afternoon at the Quidditch pitch. The first year Gryffindors ended up having quite a time playing a spirited game of football, though Ranma was obliged to sit out after five minutes, having kicked the ball so hard that it very nearly flew into the Forbidden Forest. Dean Thomas seemed very impressed.

The rest of the week flew by without too much excitement. Among other things, Rama patched up his strained relationship with Professor McGonagall, who pulled him aside briefly to apologize for not believing their warning about the Philosopher's Stone. He, in turn, asked about the points she'd taken all those months ago, which made him resent her enough to not want to speak to her.

"Yes, Mr. Saotome, I am more strict with Gryffindors, but it is because I expect only the best from you all." she said in an uncharacteristically warm tone. "The other heads of house may favor their own students, but I've always believed that, no matter how high I set the bar, Gryffindors will always rise to meet it. And I guarantee you, I shall always set it very high."

Her explanation put everything in perspective. Ranma felt very much the same way about himself when it came to the martial arts. Knowing that she was challenging them to make them all better people gave him newfound respect for his head of house.

Ranma also managed to earn two detentions with Snape when he refused to call the man either "sir" or "Professor". This culminated in a somewhat ugly scene down in the dungeons, where the apoplectic potions master was on the verge of trying to curse him, and Ranma told Snape exactly what he thought of him. He wasn't too worried about it; since the house championship had already been awarded, there were no points to take anyway. He did, however, have to endure another little conference with McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Snape, where he informed them that he wasn't going to show any respect to someone who wouldn't show any in return. In all, he got off lightly and solidified his place as a thorn in Snape's side, which could never be a bad thing in Ranma's mind.

Beyond these things, Ranma just spent time with his friends (a daunting task, considering how many he now had) and made plans for the summer, which was shaping up to be quite busy. So far, he was set to visit the Burrow (where the Weasley family lived) nearly everyday to work on Marauders business. He'd also agreed to continue training with Neville every morning. Ranma saw a lot of potential in his friend and figured that, between him and Genma, Neville would make good progress over the next two months.

Like they had earlier in the year, Hermione, Ron, and Harry declined his offer to include them in the training. Ranma wasn't surprised by the first two, but he couldn't understand why Harry didn't want defense lessons, especially knowing that Voldemort was still out there, waiting to return and kill him. Harry didn't seem all that worried, convinced that others would continue to oppose and block the Dark Lord's return. Ranma wouldn't accept this answer.

"You saw what he did to himself to come back. He looked me right in the eyes and told me he'd come back and kill me, and I believe him. He's going to come back, I can feel it, and I'm going to be ready for him. And I'm telling you, you'd better be ready too, or he's going to kill you." Ranma told him. Harry seemed a bit shaken by this, but only agreed to think about it. To Ranma, this was certainly an improvement on his aloof attitude, and it was the best he could ask for.

Before everyone knew it, it was time to depart on the Hogwarts Express. The castle was alive with students bustling about, making sure they'd packed everything away and that Peeves hadn't stolen anything. The first years left the school the same way they arrived, riding the small boats over the placid lake and getting one last, long look at the school. Ranma didn't say as much, but he knew he'd miss the place. He'd had one of the most exciting years of his life there and, all things considered, that was saying something.

At the train station, Harry stayed back to talk with Hagrid, so the others bid the gamekeeper farewell and climbed on the train to find a compartment. Ranma was just following Hermione into one near the end of the train when he heard someone whistle down the corridor and call out to him.

"Oy, Redtail!" Lee said through cupped hands. "C'mon and join us, we've got a compartment already."

"What for?" Ranma asked, avoiding the slightly disappointed looks from his friends.

"You know, 'business'." Lee said casually, though Ranma knew it wasn't just any old business.

"Yeah, all right." Ranma set down his book bag in the compartment. He smiled apologetically at his friends. "Uh, I'll be right back."

"Don't worry about it, mate. We'll understand if you want to sit with them." Ron replied, not quite truthfully. "I mean, they are older, and people think they're cool..."

"Are we talking about your brothers? Because I'm pretty sure they're prats." Ranma quipped with a grin. "Seriously, I'll be back. I want to sit with my friends."

Twenty minutes later, after the train had pulled out of the station, Ranma returned to the corridor, followed by the twins and Lee. It was rather loud, as students were milling about and running around. As they approached the compartment that Neville, Hermione, and Ron had entered earlier, it became quieter but much more crowded.

"What's all this?" he asked Fred, who was somewhat taller than him and could see better.

"Dunno, everyone's crowding around...looks like a bunch of Slytherins." Fred replied.

Ranma furrowed his brow, a creeping suspicion in his head. "They'd better not – I mean, they can't be _that stupid_, can they?"

"What're you on about?" asked Lee as they pushed forward.

Ranma shrugged. "Knowing my luck, trouble." he said grimly.

It didn't take long to confirm his suspicion. Being both strong and well-known, it didn't take much effort to get people to move out of his way. He found the a group of Slytherins surrounding the door to his friends' compartment, looking menacingly at everyone and conspicuously brandishing their wands. They seemed very confident, at least until they caught sight of Ranma. To their credit, they didn't back away or flinch at his glare. Behind him, Ranma could tell that Lee, Fred, and George were nervously laying hold of their own wands.

"Don't bother, they won't be doing anything." he assured them confidently.

"Yeah, Saotome?" said a big, swarthy boy. "What makes you think we won't hex you to hell right now?"

Ranma smiled predatorially. "Because, if you do, I'll break those stupid twigs you're pointing at me. And the hands that are holding them."

"You-you can't touch us, Saotome!" another stammered, not sounding very confident. "You'll be expelled."

"Not if you attack first, idiot. Now get out of my way, before I show you how hard I hit that troll." he snarled, cracking his knuckles loudly.

They all paled visibly at the threat. Whatever bravado had carried them thus far failed them completely, and they stepped aside hastily. "Red, you're scary when you do that." George said under his breath as Ranma pulled open the compartment door. The scene inside made them all growl with anger.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione were being physically restrained by two big Slytherins that had to be at least fifth or sixth years. Neville, meanwhile, had his arms trapped behind him by Marcus Flint. In front of him, Malfoy stood, brandishing his wand. From Flint and Neville's disheveled looks, there had been a struggle, and Malfoy had clearly already started using his wand. When the Marauders stepped into the compartment, neither Flint nor Malfoy looked up.

"We're not done yet!" Malfoy yelled. "Go back out-"

"No, you're done." Ranma hissed, roughly shoving the boy down onto a seat. "And I'd let go now, if I were you, Flint."

"Why, because you four are gonna jump on me, eh?" Flint replied much more bravely than he looked.

Ranma shook his head and smirked. "No, because Neville's about to break your nose."

Sure enough, Flint yelped with surprise and pain as Neville ducked quickly and jumped, driving his head into the boy's face. With practiced ease, he delivered a hard elbow to the his assailant's stomach before heaving him over his shoulder with a quick hip toss that sent Flint tumbling. Ranma was completely oblivious to this, instead glaring angrily at the other two Slytherins.

"Get your bloody hands off of them." George said to them warningly. He, Fred, and Lee already had their wands out and pointed at them. "Get out. Now."

"And if you ever lay a finger on our brother again, we'll curse you so bad you won't know your head from your arse." Fred added coldly.

The two older boys needed no convincing; they fled as fast as their feet would carry them, even treading on the fallen Flint in their haste. If he weren't so angry, Ranma might've found it all rather funny.

"Do I even need to ask what these two idiots are doing here?"

"They were looking for you." Neville said, stretching his arms. "And me too, I guess. Malfoy said he wanted 'payback'."

The other Marauders raised their eyebrows at this, but Ranma didn't answer their quizzical looks. "Did they do anything to you three?" he asked.

"No, just kept us from getting involved." Hermione said. "They just grabbed Neville and – look out!"

Ranma appreciated the warning, but he had detected Malfoy's attack before it had really begun. He bent lazily to the side, letting the bolt of red light pass by, and easily plucked the wand from Malfoy's hand. His friends all seemed ready to jump on Malfoy, but Ranma stopped them. "No, this is between me and Draco." he said

Malfoy, who had been cringing, found a bit of courage (or bravado) and jumped to his feet. "Give that back!" he demanded.

"No."

Malfoy's pale face became splotchy with anger. "Give it here! If you don't I'll tell-"

"Go ahead. When you get back, your little twig will be somewhere out there." Ranma jerked his thumb at the countryside flying by outside the window. The color drained from Malfoy's face. "You want this back? All you gotta do is hit me hard enough to make me drop it."

Malfoy considered him a moment, but shook his head and looked indignant. "Absolutely not. Muggle dueling is beneath me."

Ranma shrugged. "Oh, well I guess I have a new wand. But, you know what, I like my other wand just fine, so maybe I'll just snap this one-"

"You wouldn't dare!" Malfoy gasped.

The others, too, felt this was too harsh. "Ranma, you can't just snap someone's wand!" Hermione admonished.

"But I can snap my own. And unless Draco tries to make me drop it, it's mine." Ranma replied. "I'll even make it easy for you. All you have to do is hit me as hard as you can, and I'll give it to you."

Malfoy (and everyone else) was silent for a minute. Then, suddenly, Malfoy swung his right fist as hard as he could at Ranma's face. Ranma only smiled and nodded just a fraction. The blow landed with a loud smack, followed by a scarcely audible snaps and a very loud scream of pain. Everyone winced sympathetically. Malfoy fell back onto the seat, clutching his right hand and gasping in pain.

"That's the best you can do? You hit like a girl (no offense, Hermione)." Ranma said as he rubbed his chin. "You're to weak to fight me, Draco, and too stupid to figure it out on your own. Every time you try something stupid like this, you're going to get hurt, until you _do _understand. Now get out, and take this idiot with you."

The two struggled to their feet and staggered to the door before Malfoy looked back. "My-my w-wand." he said weakly between sniffles.

"Oh, right, almost forgot. Neville?" Ranma handed the wand to his friend and winked. Neville nodded and grinned.

"Here you are." Neville said, slapping it into Malfoy's hand. "Oh right, and I owe you this one."

Crack! Neville's fist collided with Malfoy's chin in a most spectacular fashion, sending the boy flying out into the corridor to hit the wall with a loud thud. Smack! Neville's left hook sent Flint tumbling after him. He slammed the door shut with great satisfaction.

"Not bad, Nev." Ranma said appreciatively. "I'm surprised you let them grab you though."

"I had to, they were threatening everyone else." Neville said with a shrug.

"Well, now that's sorted out – what?" Ranma looked at his friends, who were all staring at him and Neville.

"Pol was right; you _are_ scary when you do that." Lee said.

"Yeah, we barely recognized you." Harry added uncertainly.

"I don't like bullies, and I don't like people threatening my friends." Ranma said, dropping heavily into a seat. "Besides, I was bluffing; I don't want to be expelled from Hogwarts for fighting."

"Yeah, tell that to the git who just broke his hand on your face." Ron said with a grin.

"And what on earth got into you, Neville?" Hermione demanded.

"I really don't like Malfoy. Or Flint." he said sheepishly, rubbing his hands. "And I wanted to try some stuff that Ranma showed me."

"Whatever it is you showed him, Red, it's brilliant. You two are the only people I've seen who can actually send someone flying with just a punch." Lee said appreciatively.

"Yeah, not too shabby, Neville." Fred added, clapping the boy on the shoulder. "Beaten by a first year. Flint's never going to live it down!"

"Yeah, he's had it coming for _ages_." agreed George.

"And Malfoy." Ron added. "I don't think it could've happened to a nicer person."

"Hmph." Hermione frowned at them. "I just hope you two don't get into trouble. Malfoy won't forget this. He's going to make trouble."

The boys wouldn't hear anything of her warning, though; they were too excited about what had happened. Ranma didn't tell her as much, but he felt that Hermione was probably right. He'd made enough enemies in his life, and this felt the same way. Malfoy was going to be stubborn, just like Ryoga, and Ranma could only guess what he'd be forced to do to get the boy to back off. But now, he couldn't get too worked up about it. There was nothing that Malfoy could do to hurt him, and he could still claim self-defense if Malfoy complained.

The rest of the train ride wasn't nearly as exciting, and Ranma could hardly complain about that. Ron broke out his wizard chess set and the twins started a rousing game of exploding snap. Neither of the games were able to get very far, because they were constantly interrupted by people, mostly Gryffindors, who wanted to congratulate Neville on dispatching Flint and Malfoy so effectively. No adult came by to confront them about the incident, though, so it was hard to worry about whether Malfoy and Flint had complained to someone.

Before long, the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross. A witch's voice echoed through the train, reminding them not to do magic over the summer. Ranma grinned at the Marauders, thinking of what exactly they were going to do about that particular restriction. He helped Hermione retrieve her trunk and followed her off the train, followed by the others.

Around them, people were saying their good-byes. A few nodded at them, and some even said "All right, Potter." or "See ya, Potter."

"Still famous, eh?" Ron joked.

"Not where I'm going." Harry replied. "It's okay, though. I've got magic, after all."

"Yes, but you can't use it." Hermione pointed out.

"Well, they don't know that, do they." Harry said with a mischievous grin. "I'm going to have some real fun with Dudley this summer."

They laughed. "Well, there's our mum and dad." Ron said. "Later then? Send an owl 'round, you lot."

Ranma waved as the Weasleys trooped away with Lee Jordan in tow.

"There's my gran." said Neville. "We're still on, right Ranma?"

"Yeah. Get some rest, it's gonna be harder than you're used to." Ranma said, shaking Neville's hand. As the boy walked away, he turned to Harry and Hermione. "And there's my mum. I want to try to visit you guys this summer, so owl me your addresses. We've got a phone too, so call me if you want, all right?"

Harry nodded and shook his hand firmly. Hermione seemed to hesitate for a moment before pushing his hand aside and giving him a quick hug. Ranma didn't feel quite so stunned or awkward this time. "See you soon. And do try to stay out of trouble." she said, smiling.

"No promises there, but, believe me, I'm going to try." he responded with a chuckle. She and Harry turned away and he waved at them as they crossed into King's Cross Station.

Nodoka nearly smothered him in her embrace when he reached his parents. Genma, as usual, grunted his disapproval, but Ranma ignored him. Even though they'd seen each other two weeks prior, it was good to see his mother again. And his father as well, though there was no way Ranma would ever tell him that.

"How are you, dear? Any more excitement?" Nodoka asked, looking fondly at her son.

"No, I think I've had enough excitement this year." Ranma said with a grin. "I think this summer is going to be as normal and excitement free as possible."

Nodoka and Genma (surprisingly) laughed at this as they led him off the platform. Following his mother and father through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Ranma had no idea just how wrong his prediction would be.

**The End**

**Author's Notes:**

At long last, I deliver to you the final chapter of Book 1. Congratulations on lasting this long and surviving the marathon of a last chapter. And it only took two months! I had quite an ordeal writing this last one; trying to plow through writers block, laziness, and unexpected drains on my time. I'm pretty proud of finishing, since it's technically the first "book" I've written. Please let me know how you feel about this chapter and the story over all.

I'm going to go ahead and get this out of the way now: as of today, M&M officially takes a back seat to another project or two I have going on. This story is a real drain on my creative "juices" and takes a lot of time from some original fiction I've been meaning to work on. It's my goal to actually write for a living one day and, as fun as this story is, it's never going to happen if all my time is spent on fan fiction. This doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing on the story, only that it may be several months before you see anything new. I will also be marking this book as complete and creating a new story for Book 2, so it might be a good idea if you put me on author alert so you'll know when something's been updated.

Now that the first book is done, the logical question to ask is "Where do we go from here?" As I've said before, I've worked on the plan for all the books, and while it's a loose plan, I've got a good idea of where I want to go. It may surprise you to learn that the next step is not to start Book 2. In fact, Book 2 is months from getting under way. Instead, I'm going to start on the first of what I call the M&M Summer Novellas. As you can imagine, there will be six, each detailing Ranma's activities during the summer. Ranma's always got something going on and I'd feel like he's really OOC if his summers are as mundane as Harry's. If you've been lamenting about how sedate (relatively) his life's been so far, you ought to enjoy these, as they're a nod towards the Ranma canon. The first novella is called "Summer Madness" and it's separated into three parts, each with two chapters. I can't guarantee any release schedule on the novella In addition to that, I'm writing some final notes, extras, and deleted scenes that I'll post before completing this book. If there is a scene or situation you thought I should've included in the story that I didn't, and you'd like to see it written, go into the forum and post your suggestion. I'll pick a couple and write them up and include them with a couple scenes I discarded.

I'm sure there is more that I'd like to say, but I honestly just want to get this thing posted for you guys to read, so I'll just say that I'll answer any questions in the forum, as usual. If you have any questions at all, please post them in the forum. Thanks everyone for reading, commenting, and generally sticking with me through this. HUGE thanks to Kim (you know why). Stay on the look out for the next installment of Might and Magic: Tales of Ranma Saotome, Boy Wizard!


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